shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China

in the Wei River valley of Shaanxi, central China

Xi'an

— — the city where the buried emperor still keeps watch.

— 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

“Xi'an sits in the Wei River valley of central China, a capital for thirteen dynasties and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. The Ming city wall still runs a complete 13.7-kilometre circuit around the old town, and the Terracotta Army stands in ranks a short drive east, where it was set down more than two thousand years ago.

from the studio

— bring it home

Xi'an, 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 Xi'an

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

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China, set in the Guanzhong basin of the Wei River valley, with a population near 13 million. Under the names Chang'an and Daxing it served as the imperial capital of thirteen dynasties, including the Han and the Tang, and stood at the eastern end of the Silk Road. The Ming-era city wall, completed in 1370, still encloses the historic core in a 13.7-kilometre rectangle.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the stone

The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well in Lintong, guards the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, who was buried in 210 BC. More than 8,000 life-sized figures of soldiers, horses, and chariots stand in three excavated pits, each face individually modelled. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1987 and remains, by area, one of the largest royal burials on earth.

— informed by UNESCO

— the visit

The Ming city wall, 12 metres tall and 13.7 kilometres around, can be walked or cycled on its broad top in about two hours. The Bell Tower stands at the geographic centre of the old town, the Drum Tower a few hundred metres west, and the Muslim Quarter spreads from there along Beiyuanmen Street. The Terracotta Army museum is roughly 40 kilometres east of the city by road. Spring and autumn are kinder than the loess-dust winters and humid summer heat.

— informed by Travel China Guide

— where

People's Republic of China · Shaanxi Province, China

— elevation

405 m · 1,329 ft

— position

34.2658° N · 108.9541° 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.

40 km E

Terracotta Army

imperial burial complex

at the lake

Ming City Wall

intact Ming wall

at the lake

Bell Tower

Ming-era tower

at the lake

Muslim Quarter

Hui Muslim district

4 km S

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Tang-era Buddhist pagoda

Xi'an

Terracotta Army

Ming City Wall

Bell Tower

Muslim Quarter

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Xi'an — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

For more than a thousand years it was the imperial capital of China under names like Chang'an. Thirteen dynasties ruled from here, including the Tang, and the city anchored the eastern end of the Silk Road.

A buried army of more than 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, horses, and chariots set in three pits to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, who was buried in 210 BC.

In March 1974, by farmers digging a well in Lintong District east of the city. Excavation has continued for fifty years, and the central mausoleum mound itself remains unopened.

The current wall is Ming, completed in 1370 on the foundations of earlier Tang-dynasty walls. It runs 13.7 kilometres and stands roughly 12 metres tall, intact almost the whole way around.

A district of narrow lanes near the Drum Tower, home to Xi'an's Hui Muslim community for centuries. The Great Mosque, founded under the Tang in 742 and rebuilt under the Ming, stands at its centre.

— about the piece in your home

Often. Xi'an is the imaginative home of imperial China and a city many travellers from Shaanxi or the wider north claim with pride. A Medium with a studio note carries well.

The ochre and lacquer-red of Xi'an sit well with Chinoiserie-modern, warm Maximalist, and Library Traditional interiors. It earns a place above a low scholar's bench or a writing desk.

A Large reads well above most consoles. A 4-tile Mural carries the city-wall horizon above a sofa, and a 9-tile Mural holds the full Ming rectangle on a long wall.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for vertical installations near water. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water. Avoid ammonia-based sprays and abrasive pads. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Reid Wender, the curator, paints the visual language and our family studio in Knoxville hand-finishes each tile. No licensing, no reprints from elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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