Wender·Vista
Yogyakarta
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndonesia
in central Java, between Merapi and the southern sea

Yogyakarta

— — the city where the old courts still keep time.

— 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 Javanese royal city set between the volcano of Merapi and the Indian Ocean coast. The Kraton, the Sultan's palace, still holds court inside its walls, and the gamelan still rings out at dusk in the right alleyways. Borobudur is an hour north, Prambanan twenty minutes east. Batik dries on lines along the back streets of Kotagede.

from the studio
Yogyakarta
— bring it home

Yogyakarta, 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 Yogyakarta

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

Yogyakarta is the capital of the Special Region of the same name on the island of Java, the only province in Indonesia still governed by a sultan. The city sits about 25 kilometres south of Mount Merapi, an active stratovolcano, and roughly the same distance north of the Indian Ocean coast. Greater Yogyakarta holds about four million people across the basin. The walled Kraton at the centre, built in 1755 by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, still serves as the residence of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and the cultural heart of Javanese tradition.

— informed by Wikipedia, Kraton Yogyakarta
— the year

The Javanese calendar threads the year. The Sekaten festival each autumn marks the Prophet's birthday with gamelan played at the Great Mosque for a full week. Garebeg processions carry gunungan, mountains of rice and produce, from the Kraton to nearby mosques three times a year. Ramadan empties the streets at sunset and fills them again after the call. Mount Merapi sets a quieter calendar of its own: eruptions in 2010, 2018, and 2021 have shaped the basin's recent history and the city's relationship with the volcano above it.

— the visit

Most visitors arrive at Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo, about 45 kilometres west of the city, and take the airport rail line into Tugu station. The Kraton is open to the public most mornings for a small fee. Borobudur, the ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist temple about 40 kilometres northwest, runs timed-entry tickets and a separate sunrise tour. Prambanan, the ninth-century Hindu temple complex about 17 kilometres east, sits along the road to Solo. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are usually paired in a single day.

— where
Indonesia · Yogyakarta, Java
— elevation
113 m · 371 ft
— position
-7.7956° S · 110.3695° 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.
40 km NW
Borobudur
9th-century Buddhist temple
17 km E
Prambanan
9th-century Hindu temple
25 km N
Mount Merapi
active stratovolcano
27 km S
Parangtritis
Indian Ocean beach
5 km SE
Kotagede
old Mataram quarter
N
Yogyakarta
Borobudur
Prambanan
Mount Merapi
Parangtritis
Kotagede
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Yes. Yogya and Jogja are the everyday short forms locals use. The full name is sometimes spelled Jogjakarta. All refer to the same city and special region on south-central Java.

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X has held the throne since 1989 and also serves as the elected Governor of the Special Region. The sultanate dates to 1755 and is the only Indonesian province still under royal rule.

Borobudur sits about 40 kilometres northwest of Yogyakarta, a 60 to 90 minute drive depending on traffic. It is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist temple and one of Indonesia's principal UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Java.

Mount Merapi is an active stratovolcano about 25 kilometres north of the city, roughly 2,930 metres tall and one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Major eruptions in 2010, 2018, and 2021 shaped the modern basin.

Kotagede is the original seat of the Mataram Sultanate, founded in 1582, and now the silver and craft quarter of Yogyakarta. Narrow lanes still hold the tombs of the early Mataram kings inside a walled cemetery.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for someone who grew up in Yogyakarta or studied at one of its universities. A Coaster or Small with a note from the studio travels easily and sits well on a desk or a bookshelf.

The deep stained-glass tones read well in Tropical Modern, Wabi-Sabi, and Maximalist Asian rooms. The piece can also sit alone in a meditation corner or above a low teak console.

A single Large carries a six-foot sofa or a console; a 4-tile Mural reads cleanly across a longer wall; a 9-tile Mural opens the city at full scale, well suited to an entry hall or a stairwell.

Yes. For those rooms order the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface and lives in the body of the tile, so it handles splashes and steam without fading.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language. Nothing is licensed in. Reid chooses each place that enters the atlas.

— 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.