New life for amazing wall paintings in old Tbilisi house

New life is being injected into an old Tbilisi house decorated with Florentine style frescoes on its walls and ceilings.

Art experts are restoring the historic paintings in an old house on Agmashenebeli Ave in central Tbilisi, as part of a project to restore the historic home.

Tbilisi Development Fund said the house at 36 Agmashenebeli Ave was a cultural heritage monument known for its artistic and historical significance but had suffered decades of neglect, leaving it in an "emergency" condition.

Yesterday the Fund announced a project to restore the historic Florentine-style paintings, which were popular in 14th Century Italy, so the historic home maintained its reputation as an iconic spot of Tbilisi’s century-old architecture.

The building's walls and ceiling feature paintings by Florentine artists. Photo from Tbilisi Development Fund.

The restoration project would include work to strengthen the construction of the three-storey building and restore its facade and decorations.

Experts involved currently focused on the frescoes in the hallway, while works in the inner yard and exterior of the house will follow in later stages.

An expert works in the hallway to restore the historic paintings. Photo from Tbilisi Development Fund.

Commissioned in the early 20th Century by philanthropist and public figure Erasti Tchavtchanidze, the building featured works by Florentine artists. Its ceilings were painted with ornaments and walls depicted scenes, including some from the medieval Georgian poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin.

The adjacent house on 34 Agmashenebeli Ave will also be included in the restoration project, worth one million GEL.

The reconstruction works are planned to be finished by late 2016.