Wender·Vista
Reims
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFrance
in northeast France, an hour east of Paris by TGV

Reims

— — the city the kings came to be made kings.

— 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

“The cathedral was where French kings became kings: twenty-five coronations between 1223 and 1825. The city sits on the river Vesle, in the Marne, surrounded by the chalk-and-clay slopes that grow Champagne. Shelled in 1914 and rebuilt slowly through the twentieth century, Reims today walks at its own quiet pace. Most visitors arrive for one or the other (the cathedral or the cellars) and stay longer than they planned.

from the studio
Reims
— bring it home

Reims, 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 Reims

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

Reims sits in the Marne department of the Grand Est region, about 130 kilometers east-northeast of Paris and reachable in 45 minutes by TGV from Gare de l'Est. The city of roughly 180,000 lies on the river Vesle and is the largest in the Champagne wine region. The surrounding hillsides, known as the Montagne de Reims, were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2015 as part of the Champagne hillsides, houses, and cellars site. Reims and Épernay form the trade's two historic capitals.

— the stone

Notre-Dame de Reims, begun in 1211 on the site of an earlier basilica destroyed by fire, is one of the great High Gothic cathedrals of France. Twenty-five French kings were crowned here between Louis VIII in 1223 and Charles X in 1825; Clovis is traditionally said to have been baptized on the site around 496. The west façade carries roughly 2,300 sculpted figures, including the smiling angel of the central portal. The cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

— the visit

The cathedral is open daily and free to enter, with an admission charge to climb the towers between March and November. The Palace of Tau next door, the former archbishop's residence and coronation feast hall, houses the cathedral's treasury. Champagne house tours beneath central Reims at Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, and Ruinart book up weeks in advance and most require reservations. Épernay's Avenue de Champagne, a short drive south, holds more houses. The Champagne-Ardenne TGV station puts central Paris within easy reach.

— where
France · Marne, Grand Est
— elevation
83 m · 272 ft
— position
49.2583° N · 4.0317° 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
Palace of Tau
former archbishop's palace and museum
25 km S
Épernay
Champagne town
10 km S
Montagne de Reims
regional park, UNESCO hillsides
45 km SE
Châlons-en-Champagne
Marne préfecture
N
Reims
Palace of Tau
Épernay
Montagne de Reims
Châlons-en-Champagne
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Twenty-five French kings were crowned in its cathedral between 1223 and 1825, beginning with Louis VIII and ending with Charles X. It is also the historic trade capital of the Champagne wine region.

About 130 kilometers east-northeast. By TGV from Gare de l'Est the trip takes roughly 45 minutes. By car on the A4, about an hour and a half depending on traffic.

Construction began in 1211 on the site of an earlier basilica destroyed by fire. The main structure was largely complete by the end of the thirteenth century; the west façade was finished in the fourteenth.

Yes. Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Ruinart, and Mumm all run cellar tours beneath Reims; reservations are required for most. Épernay's Avenue de Champagne holds more houses a short drive south.

A thirteenth-century sculpted figure on the central west portal of Notre-Dame de Reims, beheaded by German shelling in 1914 and restored after the war. It has become the cathedral's informal mascot.

— about the piece in your home

For someone who studied in Reims, married into a Champagne family, or simply loves the region, yes. A Medium or Large carries the cathedral's weight; a Coaster Set travels well as a smaller gesture.

French traditional, English country, and warm classical interiors. The stone-and-jewel-tone palette also lands in Maximalist rooms and against deep paneled walls. It is too rich for stark minimalism.

Yes. The return of warm classical and the unfitted Maximalist room have pushed Gothic and Romanesque imagery back onto walls. A Large above a console or sideboard sits firmly in that current.

A single Large fits a console. For a sofa, a 4-tile Mural or 9-tile Mural gives the cathedral's verticality the room it needs.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and handle humidity. Glossy is the finish for framed wall display in living rooms and hallways.

Microfibre cloth and water. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface, so it does not wear or fade with normal cleaning. Avoid abrasive pads and solvents.

Yes. Created in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee, under Reid Wender's eye. There is no licensed imagery and no third-party artwork in the WenderVista line.

— if this one stayed with you

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