Wender·Vista
Cordouan Lighthouse
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFrance
at the mouth of the Gironde, between Royan and the Médoc

Cordouan Lighthouse

— — the Renaissance still keeping 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
— 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 Renaissance lighthouse standing alone in the Atlantic, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary off the southwest coast of France. Begun in 1584 and finished in 1611, Cordouan carries a king's chapel inside its base and a 67-metre tower above. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in 2021. At low tide, the rock beneath emerges and visitors can walk around the foundation.

from the studio
Cordouan Lighthouse
— bring it home

Cordouan Lighthouse, 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 Cordouan Lighthouse

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

Cordouan Lighthouse rises from a shoal of rock and sand seven kilometres off Le Verdon-sur-Mer, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary in southwestern France. The shoal lies between the Charente-Maritime and Gironde departments, halfway between Royan to the north and the northern tip of the Médoc peninsula to the south. The Bay of Biscay opens to the west. At high tide the shoal disappears entirely; at low tide the rock around the lighthouse emerges and visitors can walk the platform on foot.

— the stone

Construction began in 1584 under the engineer Louis de Foix, on the order of Henri III, and finished in 1611 under Henri IV. The original Renaissance tower carried a royal chapel inside the base, finished in marble and Corinthian columns, still in place today. Between 1782 and 1789, the engineer Joseph Teulère raised the upper section by 30 metres in cut stone, bringing the lighthouse to its present height of 67.5 metres. UNESCO inscribed the structure on the World Heritage list in 2021.

— the visit

Cordouan can be reached by boat from Royan, Le Verdon-sur-Mer, or Meschers-sur-Gironde between April and October, depending on tide and weather. The crossing takes about an hour. Visitors disembark on the exposed rock at low tide and climb 311 steps to the lantern. The site receives roughly 25,000 visitors a year. A small lighthouse-keeper team still occupies the structure, the last in France to be manned full-time. Tickets are released by the Syndicat Mixte for the Development of Cordouan in advance of each tide window.

— where
France · Gironde / Charente-Maritime
— elevation
68 m · 222 ft
— position
45.5878° N · 1.1742° W
— 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.
12 km N
Royan
port town
7 km S
Le Verdon-sur-Mer
port town
15 km S
Médoc peninsula
wine region
40 km NW
Île d'Oléron
Atlantic island
N
Cordouan Lighthouse
Royan
Le Verdon-sur-Mer
Médoc peninsula
Île d'Oléron
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Seven kilometres offshore at the mouth of the Gironde estuary in southwestern France, between Royan and the Médoc peninsula. The lighthouse stands on a tidal rock shoal in the Bay of Biscay.

Construction began in 1584 under Louis de Foix and finished in 1611. It is the oldest lighthouse still in active service in France and among the ten oldest still operating in the world.

The Renaissance design under Henri III placed a royal chapel in the base, finished in marble with Corinthian columns. It was meant to honour the king and serve mass for the keepers; the chapel is still consecrated today.

67.5 metres above mean sea level. The original Renaissance tower stood about 37 metres; Joseph Teulère raised it by 30 metres in cut stone between 1782 and 1789, bringing it to the present height.

Yes. UNESCO added Cordouan to the World Heritage list in 2021, citing its architectural ambition and its continuous role in Atlantic navigation since the early seventeenth century.

Yes, by boat from Royan, Le Verdon-sur-Mer, or Meschers between April and October, tide permitting. The crossing takes about an hour. Visitors land on exposed rock at low tide and climb 311 steps to the lantern.

— about the piece in your home

Many of our customers with roots in Charente-Maritime or the Médoc have ordered a Cordouan piece. The lighthouse reads as home for anyone raised between Royan and Bordeaux. A Small or Medium ships well with a studio note.

The Atlantic-stone palette suits Coastal-modern, French Country, and warm Minimalist rooms. Walls in deep navy, sea-glass green, or chalk white frame the stained-glass colours cleanly.

Coastal-modern has held since the late 2010s, with renewed interest in maritime heritage subjects after Cordouan's 2021 UNESCO listing. The Renaissance subject reads less generic than a standard postcard lighthouse.

A single Large covers most console runs. Above a sofa, a four-tile Mural reads at full scale; a nine-tile Mural anchors a longer coastal-room wall. The Medium suits a hallway or stairwell.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. Both resist scratching and clean with a soft cloth and water.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. Skip ammonia, bleach, and abrasives. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and stays put under a thin glossy finish.

Yes. Reid Wender paints every WenderVista vista in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language. No licensing, no third-party catalogue.

— if this one stayed with you

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