Wender·Vista
Nagqu
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China
on the northern Tibetan plateau, halfway from Lhasa to the Kunlun

Nagqu

— — the grass the horses come down to in August.

— 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 high town on the Changtang grassland, roughly 4,500 metres above sea level, on the road and rail line that crosses the Tanggula Pass between Lhasa and Xining. For most of the year the wind moves the grass and nothing else. In August the herders ride in from across the plateau for the Nagqu Horse Race, and the empty country fills for a week.

from the studio
Nagqu
— bring it home

Nagqu, 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 Nagqu

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

Nagqu, written Naqu in Chinese, is a prefecture-level city in the northern Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, covering roughly 450,000 square kilometres of the Changtang plateau. The administrative seat sits at about 4,500 metres above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in the world. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway runs through the city, connecting Lhasa to Xining over the Tanggula Pass at 5,072 metres. The prefecture's pastoral population of around 500,000, mostly Tibetan, herds yak and sheep across the high steppe.

— informed by Wikipedia, Changtang
— the air

At 4,500 metres the air carries roughly 60 percent of the oxygen available at sea level. Annual mean temperature at the Nagqu meteorological station is about minus one degree Celsius, with winter lows reaching minus 35. The plateau receives roughly 400 millimetres of precipitation a year, most of it falling as summer hail or snow between June and September. Wind is the constant. Westerlies above 20 kilometres per hour are typical, and dust devils cross the grass on most clear afternoons.

— the year

The grassland cycle anchors the year. Snow holds the plateau from November through April; the grass greens in late May. The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival, held in early August since at least the seventeenth century, draws herders from across the Changtang for a week of racing, archery and tent-bazaar trade. By late September the herds are moved to winter pasture and the high passes begin to close. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway crosses the Tanggula Pass north of the city at 5,072 metres, the highest railway pass in the world.

— informed by Qinghai-Tibet Railway
— where
People's Republic of China · Nagqu, Tibet Autonomous Region
— elevation
4,500 m · 14,764 ft
— position
31.4800° N · 92.0500° 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.
320 km S
Lhasa
Tibetan capital
180 km N
Tanggula Pass
high railway pass (5,072 m)
170 km SW
Namtso Lake
sacred salt lake
at the lake
Changtang grassland
high steppe
1 km E
Nagqu Railway Station
Qinghai-Tibet line
N
Nagqu
Lhasa
Tanggula Pass
Namtso Lake
Changtang grassland
Nagqu Railway Station
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Nagqu is a prefecture-level city in the northern Tibet Autonomous Region of China, on the Changtang plateau roughly 320 kilometres north of Lhasa along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Railway.

The administrative seat sits at about 4,500 metres above sea level, roughly 14,760 feet. The surrounding Changtang plateau averages closer to 4,800 metres, and the Tanggula Pass to the north rises to 5,072 metres.

The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival is held in early August on the grassland outside the city. Herders ride in from across the Changtang for racing, archery and tent-bazaar trade, in a tradition recorded since the seventeenth century.

The prefecture's population of around 500,000 is predominantly Tibetan, with a pastoral economy built on yak and sheep herding across the Changtang grassland. The city itself holds the administrative and trade functions.

Annual mean temperature is about minus one degree Celsius. Winter lows at the meteorological station reach minus 35, and snow can hold the plateau from November through April. Summer afternoons climb into the low teens.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway from Xining or Lhasa stops at Nagqu Station, with the journey from Lhasa taking about four hours. The parallel highway, China National Route 109, runs the same corridor.

— about the piece in your home

It's been a meaningful gift for customers with a connection to the Tibetan plateau or to high-altitude travel. The Changtang grassland is unlike anywhere else on earth. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The palette runs cool and earthen, with grassland gold, plateau slate and prayer-flag red, so it sits well in alpine-modern, mountain-modern and jewel-tone maximalist rooms. It pairs with felt, wool and weathered timber.

Alpine-modern is moving away from generic mountain motifs toward specific named ranges and altitudes. The Tibetan plateau reads as the most informed end of that direction, well beyond the European Alps.

Above a standard three-seat sofa the single Large reads well; above an eight-foot console a four-tile Mural gives more presence; a nine-tile Mural anchors a tall stair wall or a wide entry.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The surface is scratch-resistant and handles steam, splash and daily wipe-down. The glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces kept away from water.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so it will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original artwork by Reid Wender, the studio's curator. Nothing is licensed in, and nothing is reproduced from a third party. The work is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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