Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani is among the most famous Georgian public figures. He lived between 1658 and 1725. His portraits or pictures are very rare and we barely know how did this person look like, but the recent painting uncovers what was hidden some time ago.
Giorgi Kavtaradze, associated professor at the GEU Georgian-European University published a painting some time ago.
“This painting is unique” – says Giorgi Kavtaradze. “The one that is saved in the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia is a copy of the original one and it is in black and white. The current one is original and still unknown to the public. We have seen Sulkhan-Saba’s pictures where he is old, but here he is young, around 25-30 years old. He was in this age when wrote prominent collection of fables and tales A Book of Wisdom and Lies. This portrait is depicted on the original manuscript of the book that is kept in the National Library of Russia.”

This portrait was sent to Giorgi Kavtaradze from the Saint-Petersburg National Library. He thinks that it is possible to negotiate with them and bring the manuscript to Georgia for exhibition.
“It is urgent to digitalize all the Georgian manuscripts that are kept in Russia. This will help the Georgian scientists to study and make researches about those manuscripts. There are kept hand written letters and books by the Georgian kings Vakhtang VI, Erekle II and others. There is a textbook for the mathematics written in 1724 by Vakhtang VI” – says Giorgi Kavtaradze.
The author of the current painting is unknown. Prince Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani was a Georgian writer and diplomat. Orbeliani is noted in part due to his important role as an emissary of Georgia to France and Vatican, where he vainly sought assistance on behalf of his beleaguered King Vakhtang VI from the Pope and the French emperor Louis XIV.