Wender·Vista
Panathenaic Stadium
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGreece
in central Athens, below Ardettos hill

Panathenaic Stadium

— — the only stadium cut entirely from marble.

— 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 Kallimarmaro, the beautifully-marbled. An ancient running track refit in white Pentelic marble for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, on the footprint of the stadium Herodes Atticus rebuilt in 144 AD, on the footprint of the one Lycurgus laid out in 330 BC. Three stories of the same site, stacked. Open most days of the year; the marble takes the late Athenian light the way a face does.

from the studio
Panathenaic Stadium
— bring it home

Panathenaic Stadium, 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 Panathenaic Stadium

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 Panathenaic Stadium, also known by the nickname Kallimarmaro, sits in central Athens between the neighbourhoods of Pangrati and Mets, in the natural ravine below Ardettos hill. The current structure was completed in 1896 to host the first modern Olympic Games, on the footprint of the stadium Herodes Atticus rebuilt in 144 AD, itself built over the stadium Lycurgus laid out around 330 BC for the Panathenaic Games. The reconstruction was funded by the Greek benefactor Georgios Averoff and modelled closely on the ancient form.

— the stone

It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. The reconstruction used white Pentelic marble from the same Mount Pentelicus quarries that supplied the Parthenon. Seating runs in roughly fifty tiers along the long horseshoe, with a capacity now given as around 45,000 to 50,000. The marble carries a warm cream tone in low sun and reads almost peach at sunset; in cold winter light it goes back to clean white. The track inside is a packed reddish clay.

— the year

The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and several events of the 1896 Olympics, and again of the 2004 Athens Olympics, when the marathon finished here. Each year the lighting ceremony of the modern Olympic flame ends inside Kallimarmaro before the torch leaves for the next host city. The Athens Classic Marathon, run on the historical course from the town of Marathon, also finishes on this track, usually on the second Sunday of November. The stadium is otherwise open to the public most days.

— where
Greece · Athens, Attica
— position
37.9683° N · 23.7411° 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.
1 km W
Acropolis
ancient citadel
0.5 km W
Temple of Olympian Zeus
ancient temple
N
Panathenaic Stadium
Acropolis
Temple of Olympian Zeus
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Kallimarmaro means the beautifully-marbled. The nickname refers to the stadium's reconstruction in 1896 entirely in white Pentelic marble, from the same quarries on Mount Pentelicus that supplied the Parthenon. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.

The current structure dates from 1896, but it sits on the footprint of the stadium Herodes Atticus rebuilt in 144 AD, which itself replaced the stadium Lycurgus laid out around 330 BC for the Panathenaic Games. Three stages of the same site.

The Panathenaic Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and several events of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The reconstruction was funded by the Greek benefactor Georgios Averoff and modelled closely on the ancient stadium form.

Yes. The stadium hosted events of the 2004 Athens Olympics, and each year the modern Olympic flame is handed over to the next host city in a ceremony inside Kallimarmaro. The Athens Classic Marathon also finishes here, usually in November.

Current capacity is given as around 45,000 to 50,000, depending on the source. The original ancient stadium is estimated to have held a similar number; Herodes Atticus's second-century rebuild is thought to have seated up to 50,000 in marble.

— about the piece in your home

Many of our customers have given it to marathoners and to people who remember 2004 in Athens. Kallimarmaro is the finish line of the Athens Classic Marathon and the historic home of the modern Games. The Small or Medium carries well.

The piece sits well in Classical-modern, Library-traditional, and warm Mediterranean interiors. The Voynich layer's marbled whites and warm ochres pick up walnut, leather, and brass. It also reads cleanly against a plain white or deep green wall.

A single Large is the usual choice over a desk or console. Above a full-length sofa, the four-tile Mural reads at proper scale; for a study or stair landing as a feature wall, the nine-tile Mural.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room where humidity or splashes are routine. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, beneath the finish, so steam and water do not affect it.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine dusting. For kitchen grease or bathroom soap film, add a drop of mild dish soap. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based cleaners on any of the three finishes.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made by our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The art is original to Reid Wender, the curator, and is not licensed from any third party.

— if this one stayed with you

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