Wender·Vista
Main
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGermany
across Franconia, into the Rhine at Mainz

Main

— — the long slow river the wine country sits on.

— 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 Main runs about 525 kilometres west across southern Germany, from its two source streams in Upper Franconia to the Rhine confluence at Mainz. Past Bamberg, Würzburg, and Frankfurt, it carries the river-trade history of central Europe and the terraces of Franconian wine country, with Silvaner on south-facing limestone slopes above oxbow bends. The Main-Donau Canal links it to the Danube and, with it, to the Black Sea.

from the studio
Main
— bring it home

Main, 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 Main

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 Main is a right tributary of the Rhine, running about 525 kilometres west across southern Germany from Upper Franconia to the confluence at Mainz-Kostheim. It is formed at Kulmbach by the meeting of the Red Main, rising in the Fichtelgebirge, and the White Main, rising in the Frankenwald. The river drains a basin of roughly 27,000 square kilometres and passes through Bamberg, Würzburg, Aschaffenburg, and Frankfurt. The Main-Donau Canal, completed in 1992, connects the river to the Danube and so to the Black Sea, making the Main part of the longest navigable waterway in continental Europe.

— the water

The Main flows almost entirely through limestone country, which shapes both the river and the wine on its banks. Franconian Silvaner is grown on south-facing terraces above the river bends near Würzburg and Volkach. The river is heavily regulated, with 34 locks between Bamberg and the Rhine confluence, allowing barge traffic of up to 110 metres. Discharge at Frankfurt averages around 225 cubic metres per second. Floods are old news on the Main; the high-water marks on the Würzburg Old Bridge piers record several centuries of them.

— the visit

The Main is reached most easily through Frankfurt, where the river runs through the city centre below the Eiserner Steg footbridge. Würzburg and Bamberg are both about an hour by ICE train from Frankfurt and offer the best of the river towns. The Mainradweg cycle path runs the full 600 kilometres from the sources to the Rhine, and is rideable from spring through autumn. River cruises run regularly between Mainz and Bamberg through the warmer months. Winters bring fog along the lower valley.

— informed by Mainradweg
— where
Germany · Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate
— 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
Frankfurt
city on the Main
at the lake
Würzburg
city on the Main
at the lake
Bamberg
city on the Main
at the lake
Mainz
confluence with the Rhine
at the lake
Kulmbach
source confluence
N
Main
Frankfurt
Würzburg
Bamberg
Mainz
Kulmbach
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The Main is a right tributary of the Rhine, running about 525 kilometres west across southern Germany. It joins the Rhine at Mainz-Kostheim, opposite the city of Mainz.

The Main is formed at Kulmbach in Upper Franconia by the meeting of the Red Main, which rises in the Fichtelgebirge, and the White Main, which rises in the Frankenwald.

The Main passes through Bayreuth, Bamberg, Würzburg, Aschaffenburg, and Frankfurt before joining the Rhine at Mainz. Frankfurt is the largest city on the river.

Yes. The Main-Donau Canal, completed in 1992, links the Main to the Danube near Kelheim. The waterway allows barge traffic between the North Sea and the Black Sea.

Franconian Silvaner is the signature wine of the Main valley, grown on south-facing limestone terraces above the river bends near Würzburg and Volkach. It is traditionally bottled in the Bocksbeutel.

The Main is about 525 kilometres long from the confluence of its two source streams at Kulmbach to the Rhine at Mainz. Its drainage basin covers roughly 27,000 square kilometres.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Main runs through several beloved German cities, so the tile carries weight for anyone with family or memory along its length. A Small or Medium ships well to German addresses.

The river-grey and Franconian-vineyard palette suits warm-modern, European-country, and Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. It pairs with oak, brass, and dark leather.

Yes. The muted river and vineyard palette reads current within the warm European-modern direction, which has held a strong position in design rooms over the last several seasons.

A single Large reads cleanly above a sofa. The long river composition particularly suits the 4-tile Mural; a 9-tile Mural anchors a wider wall in a dining room or hall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical install in a bath, shower, or kitchen backsplash. The Glossy finish suits framed wall art in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath the finish, so it will not lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is drawn and finished in our Knoxville studio. The work is not licensed from any third party and not reproduced from any photograph in the public domain.

— 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.