Illuminated Georgian Manuscripts from Atabag Court Scriptoria and Trebizond

From the second half of the 15th century, the influx of Eastern Christian clergy, including those seeking shelter from Constantinople or Trebizond, contributed to a multicultural atmosphere that greatly influenced the literary and artistic processes at the Atabags' court. The rulers of this independent principality, the Jakeli-Atabag family, represented the stratum of the progressive-minded society of that period. Despite the growing Islamic influence around, in the synodica of the Jackels attached to the various manuscripts that have reached us, their Christian virtue and Christian disposition are emphatically presented. Their name is associated with both the locally produced artistic and reconstruction processes, as well as the large donations made in the Christian centers. Their connection and relationship with the great centers of Christianity, Mount Athos, Antioch, the Holy Land is widely known.
Various types of manuscripts copied at the court of the Atabags have reached us: psalters, gospels, liturgical collections (A-351, A-485, Q-84, A-733, Q-920, Q-921, K-375, O.I.58, etc.). The exact date and, in some cases, the indication of the exact place of copying help us in the study of manuscripts, and also clarifies the history of travels of calligraphers and their scribal activities during their visits. Goal of the paper is to present on the one hand, the artistic processes taking place at Atabags’ court, and reflected in the ouvre of miniaturists and on the other hand, show the connection with the artistic searches of the surrounding word, especially with Trebizond. The unique and universal compositions of the miniatures, and their distinguished stylistic features, and broad range of iconographic and literary sources and artistic traditions, undoubtedly reaffirm the manuscript's connection to the artistic and literary center of the Atabags' scriptorium. It reflects the artistic traditions of the Christian world of the time.