This sword and sheath were crafted in collaboration with Irakli Megrelishvili and Zaqro Nonikashvili.
Gotscha Lagidse made his first creations, a chain mail and knight’s helmet, in his native country Georgia when he was just 14 years old. A history teacher instilled in him the love of metalworking and of traditional weaponry. “He showed me his own collection of historical weaponry. I was so fascinated by the beauty of the objects and the stories surrounding them that I studied them in detail, so I could make similar ones myself.” At the age of 21, Gotscha was a metal restorer in a national museum in Tbilisi. He remains inspired by the rich military history of Georgia, but broadened his scope to European armaments after moving to the Netherlands. He gained recognition in his new homeland with the reconstruction of an armour that once belonged to Prince Maurits of Nassau. Today Gotscha makes more than just weaponry.
Read the full interviewPhoto: ©Etienne Homs
This sword and sheath were crafted in collaboration with Irakli Megrelishvili and Zaqro Nonikashvili.
Photo: ©Etienne Homs
This is a reconstruction of parts of the armour of Giorgi Saakadze, a famous army leader in Georgian history. The helmet is adorned with images of crosses, as Christian symbols. The armour parts are adorned with images of grapes, which are an important symbol of Georgia.
Photo: ©Etienne Homs
This is a sword in its sheath. Made in the traditional Caucasian Gorda style it is a reproduction of a royal sword of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty. Red rubies and gold thread are encrusted in the handle and at the end of the sheath.
Photo: ©Etienne Homs
This small metal construction is a representation of a wasp. Differences in colour occur thanks to the use of blued steel, gilded brass and browned steel.
Length 15 cm
Width 15 cm
Height 8 cm
Photo: ©All rights reserved
This is a dagger in traditional Caucasian Dagestan style, named after a famous freedom fighter from the Dagestan region. Both the sheath and handle are made of dark wood, leather and buffalo horn, and gold elements lighten up the design throughout.