Wender·Vista
Golestan Palace
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
in central Tehran, just north of the Grand Bazaar

Golestan Palace

— mirrors holding two centuries of Qajar light.

— 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 walled citadel of seventeen surviving structures around a long garden of cypress and tiled pools. The complex began under the Safavids and reached its present form under the Qajar shahs of the nineteenth century. The Marble Throne stands open to the garden; the Mirror Hall inside holds light in ten thousand pieces. UNESCO inscribed the palace in 2013.

from the studio
Golestan Palace
— bring it home

Golestan Palace, 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 Golestan Palace

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

Golestan Palace sits in central Tehran, on the north edge of the Arg, the old royal citadel quarter, a short walk from the Grand Bazaar. The complex covers about five and a half hectares and contains seventeen surviving buildings around a central garden. Founded during the Safavid era and rebuilt as the principal residence of the Qajar shahs from 1779 onward, it served as the seat of Iranian monarchy until the Pahlavi shahs moved the court north toward the foothills of the Alborz.

— the stone

The palace is most associated with its tilework, mosaic faience in cobalt, turquoise, and rose covering the iwans and exterior walls in a vocabulary that pairs Persian floral motifs with European pictorial scenes brought back by Qajar diplomats. The Marble Throne, carved from sixty-five pieces of yellow marble from Yazd, has stood in its open pavilion since 1806. The Mirror Hall, completed under Nasser al-Din Shah, lines its interior with cut mirror in geometric facets.

— the visit

Golestan Palace opens daily, typically from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon. Individual buildings are ticketed separately; a combined ticket covers the principal halls including the Marble Throne, the Mirror Hall, the Salam Hall, and the Edifice of the Sun. The complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013 as a representative masterpiece of Qajar architecture. Tehran Metro line 1 stops at Panzdah-e-Khordad station, two blocks east of the entrance.

— where
Iran · Tehran, Tehran Province
— elevation
1,200 m · 3,937 ft
— position
35.6800° N · 51.4200° 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 S
Grand Bazaar of Tehran
covered market
1 km W
National Museum of Iran
museum
1 km N
Imam Khomeini Square
plaza
1 km E
Masoudieh Palace
palace
N
Golestan Palace
Grand Bazaar of Tehran
National Museum of Iran
Imam Khomeini Square
Masoudieh Palace
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The site was founded during the Safavid era. It was rebuilt as the Qajar royal residence beginning in 1779 under Agha Mohammad Khan, and most of its surviving buildings date from the nineteenth century under later Qajar shahs.

A platform carved from sixty-five pieces of yellow marble quarried in Yazd, installed in 1806 under Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. It stands in an open pavilion facing the garden and was used for coronations and royal audiences.

Cut-mirror cladding is a Persian decorative technique called aineh-kari. Light entering the hall scatters across thousands of geometric facets. The Golestan version was completed in the late nineteenth century under Nasser al-Din Shah.

Yes. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013 as a representative masterpiece of Qajar-era architecture and a synthesis of Persian craft with nineteenth-century European influence.

Tehran Metro line 1 stops at Panzdah-e-Khordad station, two blocks east of the palace entrance. Visitors typically combine the visit with the adjacent Grand Bazaar and the National Museum of Iran nearby.

The Qajar dynasty ruled Iran from 1789 to 1925. Their court resided primarily at Golestan. The most architecturally consequential Qajar shahs for the palace are Fath-Ali Shah and Nasser al-Din Shah.

— about the piece in your home

The tile has carried well for customers in the Iranian diaspora and for those marking a Nowruz, a wedding, or a homecoming. A Small or single Large suits a sofreh wall or a study.

The cobalt, turquoise, and rose palette sits well inside Persian-Modern, Jewel-tone Maximalist, and warm Bohemian rooms. The leaded outlines hold against patterned rugs and plastered walls.

The current Persian-modern direction favors framed art that references traditional tilework and miniature painting without copying them. The Golestan tile sits naturally beside hand-knotted rugs, brass lighting, and walnut furniture.

A single Large suits a console or an entry wall. Above a standard three-seat sofa we usually recommend a four-tile Mural; a nine-tile Mural fills the longer wall behind a sectional.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical install above a sink, range, or shower. The colour lives in the surface and does not fade under steam or splash.

A dry microfibre cloth handles dust. For anything more, a damp microfibre with plain water is enough. Avoid abrasive cleaners and citrus solvents, which can dull the glossy finish over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is made by Reid Wender, the studio's curator, in our distinctive stained-glass and alcohol-ink language. No licensing, no third-party art. The work originates in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— if this one stayed with you

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