Wender·Vista
Scheldt
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileBelgium
the tidal river through Antwerp to the North Sea

Scheldt

— — the working river under the cathedral.

— 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
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— 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

“A river that begins in the chalk of northern France, threads through Tournai and Ghent, and widens through Antwerp into the North Sea. The Scheldt is tidal as far inland as the Belgian–Dutch border, and the working barges run with the tide. From the right bank in Antwerp the cathedral spire stands above the water that carried Rubens's pigment up from Genoa. From the studio.

from the studio
Scheldt
— bring it home

Scheldt, 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 Scheldt

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

The Scheldt (Schelde in Dutch, Escaut in French) is a 350-km river rising in the Aisne department of northern France, then crossing Belgium through Tournai, Ghent, and Antwerp before entering the North Sea through the Western Scheldt in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The tide reaches inland as far as Ghent and the river's lower course carries the largest shipping channel in Belgium. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, founded on the river's east bank, ranks among the busiest ports in Europe by tonnage.

— the water

The lower Scheldt is a true tidal river: the spring tidal range at Antwerp reaches about 5.8 m, the largest of any port on the European continent. Twice a day the current reverses and the barges along the Bonapartedok ride up or down by half the height of a brick warehouse. The Sigma Plan, begun in 1977 after the 1976 storm surge, restores controlled flood plains along the banks so the river has room to swell without overrunning the cities downstream.

— the stone

From the right bank in Antwerp, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal rises 123 m above the water — the tallest cathedral in the Low Countries, begun in 1352 and never quite finished. The pigments Rubens used in the altarpieces inside arrived up this same river: lapis from Afghanistan, cochineal from Mexico, vermilion ground in Antwerp itself. The Steen, the city's surviving medieval fortress, sits at the water's edge a few hundred metres north, the last fragment of a wall the river has otherwise outlived.

— where
Belgium · Antwerp, Flanders
— position
51.2213° N · 4.3997° 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
Antwerp Cathedral
Gothic cathedral
at the lake
Het Steen
medieval fortress
55 km W
Ghent
river city
110 km SW
Tournai
Walloon river city
N
Scheldt
Antwerp Cathedral
Het Steen
Ghent
Tournai
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The river rises in northern France, runs about 350 km through Tournai, Ghent, and Antwerp, and reaches the North Sea through the Western Scheldt estuary in the Dutch province of Zeeland.

Yes. The tide reaches inland as far as Ghent. The spring tidal range at Antwerp is about 5.8 m, the largest of any continental European port, and the current reverses twice a day.

Antwerp grew on the east bank of the Scheldt because the river is navigable to ocean-going ships. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is one of the busiest ports in Europe by tonnage.

A long-running flood-defence program begun in 1977 after the 1976 storm surge. It restores controlled flood plains along the Scheldt so the river can swell without overrunning Antwerp and the downstream cities.

The pigments used in Rubens's altarpieces in Antwerp Cathedral — lapis, cochineal, vermilion — arrived along the Scheldt from across the trading world. The city's painters depended on its quays.

Yes. The right-bank promenade runs past Het Steen and the cathedral; the Sint-Annatunnel pedestrian tunnel from 1933 crosses beneath the river to the open left-bank quay opposite.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for our customers with roots in Flanders. The Scheldt is the city in a single image. A Medium with a note from the studio travels well.

The slate water and warm cathedral stone read well in Maximalist interiors, in studies with leather and old maps, and in Flemish-modern rooms that lean toward the historical.

The current Heritage Revival look brings deep greens, river-grey, and aged brass back into reach. The Scheldt tile sits inside that direction rather than the bright Mediterranean palette.

Above a standard sofa we recommend a single Large, or a 4-tile Mural for a wider wall. Above a console a Medium reads well; for a long entry hall a 9-tile Mural carries it.

Yes. For a bathroom or kitchen wall we recommend the Dura Satin or Matte finish, which is scratch-resistant and handles steam well. The Glossy finish is for drier rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, chosen and finished by Reid Wender. We do not license artwork from third parties.

— if this one stayed with you

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