Wender·Vista
Terracotta Army
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China
east of Xi'an, at the foot of Mount Li

Terracotta Army

— — eight thousand men, all looking the same way.

— 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

“Eight thousand life-sized soldiers in the earth east of Xi'an, in formation around the tomb of China's first emperor. Each face was carved as a portrait, with no two heads alike. Found by farmers digging a well in 1974, the army has stood at attention now for more than 2,200 years. from the studio

from the studio
Terracotta Army
— bring it home

Terracotta Army, 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 Terracotta Army

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 Terracotta Army stands in the Lintong District about 35 kilometres east of Xi'an, in Shaanxi Province, China. The figures form the outer guard of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, who died in 210 BCE. The site was discovered in March 1974 by farmers drilling a well during a regional drought, and excavation has continued since. UNESCO inscribed the mausoleum complex as a World Heritage site in 1987. The main tomb mound itself remains unexcavated to this day.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia
— the stone

The figures were assembled from local clay sourced near Mount Li, then individually finished. Bodies were mass-produced from moulds, but every head was modelled separately, which is why no two faces are alike. Heights range from about 1.75 to 2.0 metres, with officers taller than rank-and-file infantry. Traces of pigment recovered from sealed sections show the army was originally painted in vivid greens, reds, blues, and lacquer black; most surviving colour oxidised within minutes of air exposure after 1974. Conservation now happens before excavation.

— informed by British Museum, Wikipedia
— the visit

The site is reached from Xi'an by the Highway 306 bus from the railway station or a 40-minute taxi. Admission is roughly 120 yuan in peak season, March through November, and 90 yuan in winter. Three pits are open: Pit 1, the largest, holds the main infantry formation under a hangar-sized roof and contains an estimated 6,000 figures, of which about 2,000 are excavated and restored. Pits 2 and 3 hold cavalry, command staff, and chariots. Mornings before 10 are markedly cooler and far less crowded.

— where
People's Republic of China · Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi
— elevation
500 m · 1,640 ft
— position
34.3848° N · 109.2734° 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.
2 km S
Mount Li
mountain
5 km SW
Huaqing Pool
hot spring site
35 km W
Xi'an City Wall
Ming fortification
40 km W
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Tang pagoda
N
Terracotta Army
Mount Li
Huaqing Pool
Xi'an City Wall
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In March 1974, by farmers from Xiyang Village digging a well during a regional drought. The lead figure they uncovered now stands in the Lintong site museum dedicated to the find.

An estimated 8,000 figures across the three excavated pits, alongside about 130 chariots, 670 horses, and additional officers and acrobats. Roughly 2,000 of the infantry have been fully excavated and restored.

Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, who died in 210 BCE. The figures stand in formation east of his still-unexcavated tomb mound at the foot of Mount Li.

Bodies were assembled from moulds, but heads were modelled individually by separate artisans. Whether the faces are true portraits of real soldiers or composite types is still debated by archaeologists today.

Yes. Traces of pigment show vivid greens, reds, blues, and lacquer black covering the figures. Most surviving colour oxidised within minutes of air exposure after 1974, which is why current finds are conserved before lifting.

In 1987, as part of the broader Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor World Heritage property. The inscription covers the army, the tomb mound, and the surrounding necropolis at the foot of Mount Li.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many of our customers with family in Shaanxi or anywhere in China. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The earth-tone palette and figural rhythm sit well with Minimalist Asian, warm-traditional libraries, and jewel-tone Maximalist rooms anchored in dark wood, brass, and oxblood leather.

Yes. The terracotta tones and archaeological subject align with the collected-traveller and museum-style interior categories prominent in design writing through 2024 and 2025, alongside antique brass and aged leather.

A single Large anchors a sofa or long console. For wider walls, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural lets the formation read at the scale the subject quietly asks for.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for splash zones, backsplashes, and shower walls. Glossy is best kept to dry-wall pieces.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No solvents, no abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so the piece cleans like a tile, not a painting.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, drawn by Reid Wender and hand-finished in Knoxville. No licensing, no third-party reproduction, no stock imagery.

— if this one stayed with you

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