1 Lari 2002, Georgia
| in Krause book | Number: 68a |
| Years of issue: | 2002 |
| Edition: | -- |
| Signatures: | President of National Bank of Georgia: Irakli Managadze (1998 - 03.2005), Minister of Finance: Zurab Noghaideli (2000 - 2002) |
| Serie: | 1995 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 1995 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 115 х 61 |
| Printer: | Joh. Enschede Security Printing BV, Haarlem |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
The Emblems of the Bank of Georgia. Abbreviation "GEL".
Avers:
The engraving on banknote is made after this photo of Niko Pirosmani took by Eduard Klar's studio, in Tiflis (Tbilisi) in 1916.
Niko Pirosmani (5 May 1862 - 9 April 1918) was a Georgian primitivist painter. Pirosmani’s paintings were influenced by the social conditions of his time and place. There are many works about merchants, shopkeepers, workmen, and noblemen group. Pirosmanashvili was fond of nature and rural life. He rarely employed city landscapes. He made many animal paintings. He was the only Georgian painter - animalist.
Pirosmani’s paintings were influenced by the social conditions of his time and place. There are many works about merchants, shopkeepers, workmen, and noblemen groups. Pirosmanashvili was fond of nature and rural life. He rarely employed city landscapes. He made many animal paintings. He was the only Georgian animalist. Pirosmani also was attracted by historical figures and themes such as Shota Rustaveli, Queen Tamar, Giorgi Saakadze, as well as ordinary Georgian people and their everyday lives.
Usually, Pirosmani painted on oilcloth. Unlike other artists, Niko didn’t aim at a pure imitation of the nature and paid no attention to details. Some of his paintings are monochrome. His paintings demonstrate the author's sharp compositional consideration. Placements of the figures are frontal, while faces do not demonstrate a specific mood.
In the 1910s, he won the enthusiasm of the Russian poet Mikhail Le-Dantyu and the artist Kirill Zdanevich and his brother Ilia Zdanevich. Ilia Zhdanevich wrote a letter about Pirosmani to the newspaper Zakavkazskaia Rech, which it published on February 13, 1913. He undertook to publicise Pirosmani's painting in Moscow. The Moscow newspaper Moskovskaia Gazeta of 7 January wrote about the exhibition "Mishen" where self-taught painters exhibited, among them four works by Pirosmani: "Portrait of Zhdanevich", "Still Life", "Woman with a Beer Mug", and "The Roe". Critics writing later in the same newspaper were impressed with his talent.
In the same year, an article about Niko Pirosmani and his art was published in Georgian newspaper Temi.
The Society of Georgian Painters, founded in 1916 by Dito Shevardnadze, invited Pirosmani to its meetings and began to take him up, but his relations with the society were always uneasy. He presented his painting "Georgian Wedding" to the Society. One of the members published a caricature of him, which greatly offended him. His continuing poverty, compounded by the economic problems caused by the First World War, meant that his life ended with his work little recognized. 
On the background is a branch of the vine tree with grapes.
Top left is an emblem of National Bank of Georgia.
The main motive of emblem is Borjgali.
Borjgali (Georgian: ბორჯღალი; also Borjgala or Borjgalo) is a Georgian symbol of the Sun with seven rotating wings over the Christian Tree of Life and is related to the Mesopotamian symbols of eternity. It is usually depicted within the circle that symbolizes the Universe. The roots of the Tree go into the "past" and its palm-like branches are for the "future". The Tree itself symbolizes the continuity between past, present and the future. The Borjgali is usually placed above the tree and symbolizes the Sun, eternal movement and life.
The term Borjgali is believed to derive from Megrelian word ბარჩხალი ("barchkhali"), which literally means "strong shining". Some other scholars believe that it has different origins. In old Megrelian borj means "time" and gal means "pass" or "flow". So the whole phrase would mean "the flow of time".
Denomination is in lower right corner.
Revers:
The engraving on banknote is made after the painting of Niko Pirosmani "Roe in a landscape" (1915). The painting is now at "State Museum of Art", in Tbilisi.
A view at Tbilisi, on left side is The Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption Church.
The Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption Church (Georgian: მეტეხის ღვთისმშობლის შობის ტაძარი, translit.: met'ekhis ghvtismshoblis shobis t'adzari) or Metekhi Church is a Georgian Orthodox church located on the left bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) river, on Metekhi Cliff, in Avlabari neighbourhood, opposite the old town of Tbilisi. Time of the church construction is still arguable and varies between the V, VI, XI-XII or XIII centuries.
Following a tradition in Georgian architecture of harmonious relationship of temples with the surrounding natural landscape, Metekhi Church was built to look like a growing continuation of the cliff, visible from many city points. The cross-in-square church occupies an area of 20×16 meters and is somewhat prolonged vertically. Eastern facade has three convex apsids, with central apsid the largest. Nothing similar is known among the churches of XI-XIII centuries, which makes it rather archaic. The dome with tholobate is internally held by four pillars, which is also a more archaic feature (two pillars after XI century), as well as semicircular projections on pillars. They were renovated in XVI-XVII centuries. Pointed arches under the dome are also the signs of 16-17th century rebuildings. The tholobate is wall destroyed by lightning in XVII century and restored in 18th. The church has a portal on the northern side, with stairs and entrance from the east. Presumably, the portal also had a western entrance, which is no longer in existence. Position of the portal in the central part of the wall, rather than in the western, is also not typical for the XI-XII century architecture.
The walls are made of hewn quadras, not preserved on the southern facade, where they were substituted by bricks in 18th century. Original walls remain on the east and north sides, lower part of the west and eastern part of south side. The entrance on the southern wall was also created in XVIII century.
Exterior decorations of the church, traditional Georgian rock carvings, are characteristic for the Georgian Golden Age of 11th-12th centuries. The most well-preserved eastern facade with three apsids, and northern facade with the portal contain decorative rock engravings. Rhombic rosettes and convex architraves are the motives commonly used in church decorations of that period. However, also characteristic architecture is missing except for portal passages. Architrave of the central apsid has ornamented cross. Decorations are generally disconnected, rather schematic and miniaturised, which are the characteristics of XIII century style.
Interior murals were not preserved. Among various icons one, called "100000 martyrs", tells about a tragic event that took place in Tbilisi in 1226. The town was taken over by troops of Kwarazm-shah, Jalal ad-Din. He ordered that icons from Sioni church were dropped on Metekhi Bridge, and Tbilisi citizens to step on them or beheaded. Church tradition tells about 100,000 inhabitants, who disobeyed and were executed. Their heads were floating downstream of Mtkvari River.
Denominations are on the left side and in lower right corner.
Comments:
Security strip with microtext.
Designer: Georgian artist Nodar Malazonia.
Designer of Lari sign: professional artist-ceramist Malkhaz Shvelidze.
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