Wender·Vista
Mount Ida
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGreece
the high spine of central Crete, southwest of Heraklion

Mount Ida

— — the cave the god was hidden in.

— 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

“Psiloritis, the highest mountain on Crete, rising to 2,456 metres along the spine of the island between Heraklion and Rethymno. The Greeks called it Ida. The cave on its eastern slope, the Idaean Cave above the Nida Plateau, is the place ancient writers named as where the infant Zeus was hidden from his father Kronos and raised by the Kouretes. Shepherds still take flocks up to the high pastures in summer. The whole massif lies inside the Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark. from the studio

from the studio
Mount Ida
— bring it home

Mount Ida, 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 Mount Ida

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

Mount Ida, known in modern Greek as Psiloritis, is the highest mountain on Crete, rising to 2,456 metres on the boundary between the Rethymno and Heraklion regional units. The massif runs roughly east-west through the centre of the island and contains the Nida Plateau, the Rouvas oak forest and several deep karst gorges including the Rouvas and Amari valleys. The whole range lies within the Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark, established in 2001 as one of the founding members of the European Geoparks Network. The summit, Timios Stavros, holds a small chapel reached by a marked summer footpath.

— the stone

The mountain is built of Mesozoic limestone, riddled with caves and dolines. The most famous is the Idaean Cave on the eastern flank above the Nida Plateau, a wide chamber opening at about 1,500 metres. Ancient writers from Hesiod and Diodorus Siculus down place the infant Zeus's hiding here, suckled by the goat Amalthea and guarded by the noise-making Kouretes while Kronos searched for him. Excavations between 1884 and the 1980s produced bronze shields, votive figurines and pottery layers reaching back to the late Minoan period, now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

— the visit

The mountain is reached by road from Anogeia, a stone-built village on its northern flank about an hour from Heraklion, then a winding climb up to the Nida Plateau at roughly 1,400 metres. The Idaean Cave sits a short walk from the parking area and is open without a ticket, though without lighting beyond the entrance. The summit hike to Timios Stavros runs about seven hours round trip on the marked E4 route from Nida and is realistic from late May to October; the rest of the year carries snow on the high ridges. Shepherd cheesemakers above Anogeia still make the hard graviera the mountain is known for.

— where
Greece · Rethymno and Heraklion regional units, Crete
— within
Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark
— elevation
2,456 m · 8,058 ft
— position
35.2178° N · 24.7700° 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.
20 km N
Anogeia
mountain village
55 km NE
Heraklion
city
50 km NE
Knossos
Minoan palace
50 km NW
Rethymno
city
N
Mount Ida
Anogeia
Heraklion
Knossos
Rethymno
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Along the central spine of Crete, between Heraklion and Rethymno. The massif covers much of the island's interior and contains the highest point on Crete, the 2,456-metre summit of Timios Stavros.

Ancient writers placed the infancy of Zeus in the Idaean Cave on the mountain's eastern slope. The goat Amalthea suckled the child while the Kouretes clashed weapons outside so Kronos would not hear him.

A limestone cavern at about 1,500 metres on the eastern flank of the mountain, above the Nida Plateau. Excavations have produced bronze shields and votives from the late Minoan period through the Archaic age.

The summit, Timios Stavros, reaches 2,456 metres, making it the highest peak on Crete and one of the highest in the southern Aegean. A small chapel stands on the summit.

Yes. The full range lies inside the Psiloritis UNESCO Global Geopark, established in 2001 as one of the founding members of the European Geoparks Network. The geopark covers karst caves, gorges and oak forest.

From late May through October. The marked E4 route from the Nida Plateau takes around seven hours round trip. Snow lingers on the high ridges through spring and the trail is not advisable in winter without alpine gear.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Psiloritis is a heartland mountain for Cretan identity and the Idaean Cave is central to Zeus mythology. A Medium or Large carries the weight of both stories together.

The whitewashed stone, deep mountain blues and dry-grass golds sit well in Mediterranean Modern, Coastal-Greek and Warm Minimalist rooms. Also at home against limewashed plaster and dark olive wood.

Yes. The current Mediterranean Modern look pairs lime plaster and bleached oak with one anchored landscape piece. A Large or 4-tile Mural of Psiloritis carries that anchor without tipping into taverna kitsch.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural opens the ridge line; for a long entry or dining wall, a 9-tile Mural carries the full massif and Nida Plateau.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for damp rooms and vertical installations. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall art in dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. Skip abrasive pads and harsh solvents. The colour is held in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so gentle cleaning will not lift it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language and produced in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed in.

— 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.