Vintage 1976 Soviet Art Book: Irakli Ochiauri (Metal Chasing & Sculpture) | Tsar to Soviet Books

Rare 1976 Soviet Art Monograph: "Irakli Ochiauri" (Khelovneba, Tbilisi)

Product Overview

For art historians, collectors of Soviet sculpture, and enthusiasts of Caucasian metalworking, this 1976 original Soviet hardcover album serves as an indispensable reference. Published in Tbilisi by Khelovneba (გამომცემლობა „ხელოვნება“ / Издательство «Хеловнеба»), Irakli Ochiauri (ირაკლი ოჩიაური / Ираклий Очиаури) is a dedicated retrospective on the pioneering Georgian sculptor who revived the ancient art of embossed repoussé and metal chasing (ჭედურობა).

Bound in elegant, original coarse-woven grey linen boards with red and gold foil typography, this volume features text in Georgian, Russian, and English, making it an outstanding cross-cultural reference work.

Master of Georgian Repoussé & Metal Chasing

Irakli Ochiauri (1924–2015) revolutionized mid-century Georgian art by blending modern socialist realism with ancient Caucasian blacksmithing and relief traditions. Key highlights of this publication include:

• Trilingual Critical Essays: In-depth biological and stylistic studies by art historian Yuri Melentyev, detailing Ochiauri's student days under Yakov Nikoladze and his technical innovations using brass, bronze, copper, and silver.

• Curated Visual Catalogue: Scores of full-page reproductions printed on heavy coated paper stock (мелованная бумага), showcasing famous reliefs such as Family (ოჯახი), Bells in Storm (ზარები ბრიგალში), and sculptural portraits of Niko Pirosmani, Shota Rustaveli, and Dante Alighieri.

• Architectural & Decorative Works: Documentation of large-scale public bas-reliefs created for metro stations, hotels, and public buildings throughout Tbilisi and Moscow.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: ირაკლი ოჩიაური / Ираклий Очиаури / Irakli Ochiauri

• Author: Yuri Serafimovich Melentyev (Юрий Серафимович Мелентьев)

• Publisher: "Khelovneba" Publishing House (Издательство «Хеловнеба», Тбилиси)

• Publication Date: 1976 (Tbilisi, Georgian SSR)

• Language: Trilingual (Georgian, Russian, English)

• Binding: Original publisher's woven grey linen cloth boards, gold/red foil titles

• Paper Stock: Coated art paper (120g)

• Print Run / Circulation: 15,000 copies (Тираж 15000)

• Classification: Soviet Fine Art / Georgian Sculpture / Metalwork & Repoussé

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: Woven cloth boards are clean, rigid, and flat. Gold leaf and red ink titles on front cover and spine are beautifully preserved. Corners show negligible handling wear.

• Binding Integrity: Exceptionally firm, square, and tight text block with intact hinges.

• Page & Plate Quality: Interior leaves and image plates are clean and unmarked, exhibiting light, uniform cream-colored age toning along outer margins. Free from marginal notation, library stamps, or page folds.