shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGeorgia

on the Mtkvari River, at the foot of the Caucasus

Tbilisi

— — sulfur baths, old balconies, and a fortress on the hill.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“Tbilisi runs along the Mtkvari River in a narrow valley between hills. The Old Town keeps its carved wooden balconies and brick courtyards; the Narikala fortress sits above. Steam rises from the sulfur bath district in Abanotubani. Cable cars cross to the Mother of Georgia statue on the ridge. The city smells of bread, walnut, and warm stone. — from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Tbilisi, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Tbilisi

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Capital of Georgia, in the South Caucasus, with around 1.2 million residents and a history reaching back to the fifth century. Tbilisi sits in a narrow valley along the Mtkvari (Kura) River, ringed by hills that hold the Narikala fortress, the Mother of Georgia statue, and the old Sololaki ridge. King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded the city around 458, drawn by its hot sulfur springs. The name itself comes from the Old Georgian word tpili, meaning warm, after the springs at the city's heart.

— informed by Wikipedia, UNESCO

— the stone

The Old Town carries layers of architecture from a long contested history: Persian, Russian, Ottoman, Armenian, and Georgian builders all left work. Carved wooden balconies hang from brick courtyards along Betlemi and Asatiani streets. The Narikala fortress dates to the fourth century, with most surviving walls from the eighth and the rebuilt St. Nicholas church inside from 1996. The sulfur bath district at Abanotubani sits under domed brick roofs, the bath culture continuous from the time of the city's founding fifteen centuries ago.

— informed by UNESCO

— the water

The sulfur springs at Abanotubani gave Tbilisi its name and its purpose. Water emerges at roughly 38 to 40 Celsius from deep faults beneath Sololaki ridge, carrying high sulfide content and a faint mineral smell. The Royal Baths and Chreli Abano remain in operation, the latter behind a tiled blue facade in the Persian style. Pushkin called the baths the best he had ever entered. The Mtkvari River itself runs roughly 1,500 kilometres from Turkey to the Caspian Sea, passing through the city's centre.

— informed by Wikipedia

— where

Georgia · Tbilisi

— elevation

380 m · 1,247 ft

— position

41.7151° N · 44.8271° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Narikala Fortress

fortress

at the lake

Abanotubani sulfur baths

bath district

1 km W

Mother of Georgia

monument

at the lake

Metekhi Church

church

1 km N

Rustaveli Avenue

boulevard

Tbilisi

Narikala Fortress

Abanotubani sulfur baths

Mother of Georgia

Metekhi Church

Rustaveli Avenue

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Tbilisi — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The city was founded around the hot sulfur springs that emerge from beneath Sololaki ridge at around 38 to 40 Celsius. The bath district at Abanotubani has operated continuously since at least the sixth century.

It comes from the Old Georgian word tpili, meaning warm, after the natural hot springs at the city's heart. The name dates from the founding by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the fifth century.

Georgian, which uses its own distinctive Mkhedruli alphabet of 33 letters. Russian and increasingly English are widely understood in the city, particularly in hospitality, tourism, and business circles.

Foundations date to the fourth century, with most surviving stonework from the eighth century under Arab rule and later Georgian and Persian additions. An 1827 explosion destroyed much of the upper fortress.

The Mtkvari, also called the Kura, runs about 1,500 kilometres from northeastern Turkey through the Caucasus to the Caspian Sea. It splits the city, with the Old Town on the right bank and Avlabari on the left.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Old Town's balconies and the silhouette of Narikala are unmistakable to anyone from Tbilisi. A Medium or Small with a handwritten note carries the city quietly to the diaspora.

The warm brick, carved wood, and bath-house blues pair with jewel-tone maximalism, warm mid-century interiors, and rooms that lean on Persian and Armenian textiles. The piece holds against walnut and aged brass.

Yes. Warm-maximalism leans on saturated colour and texture, with global influences welcomed. The Tbilisi palette joins that conversation without leaning on Marrakech or Istanbul references.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural. Above a console, a Medium or a landscape Triptych. A nine-tile Mural anchors a feature wall in a dining room or entry.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both handle steam and resist scratches. Choose Glossy only for dry feature walls and framed wall art.

A soft microfibre cloth, dry or lightly damp with plain water. No solvents, no abrasives. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish.

Yes. Every piece is the work of Reid Wender, the curator. No licensing, no third-party stock. One studio, one eye, one slowly assembled atlas of places.

— if this one stayed with you

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Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.