Wender·Vista
Isfahan
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
on the Zayandeh River, on the high plateau of central Iran

Isfahan

— the city they call half the world.

— 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

“Safavid capital from 1598 under Shah Abbas, built around a vast public square that has held polo matches, royal processions, and the call to prayer for four centuries. Naqsh-e Jahan opens onto turquoise-tiled domes, and the Zayandeh River runs under a chain of brick bridges to the south. They say Esfahān nesf-e jahān — Isfahan is half the world.

from the studio
Isfahan
— bring it home

Isfahan, 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 Isfahan

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

City on the Zayandeh River in central Iran, on a high plain at roughly 1,590 metres elevation. The metropolitan area holds around 2.2 million people, the third-largest in Iran after Tehran and Mashhad. Isfahan reached the height of its grandeur as the Safavid capital from 1598 under Shah Abbas I, who moved the seat of empire from Qazvin and laid out Naqsh-e Jahan Square: 160 metres wide and 560 metres long, one of the largest public squares in the world. UNESCO inscribed the square in 1979 among the earliest cultural sites listed.

— the stone

Naqsh-e Jahan is framed by four masterworks of Persian-Islamic architecture. The Shah Mosque, now Masjed-e Imam, was built between 1611 and 1629 and carries a great turquoise dome with seven-colour tilework across its entry iwan. The smaller Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, built between 1602 and 1619 for the royal women's private prayers, has no minaret and a cream-and-pink dome with a peacock motif. The Ali Qapu palace holds a painted music room across the west side, and the Qeysarie Gate opens the north onto the Grand Bazaar.

— the visit

The square itself is open and free to enter on foot, with the four monuments charging separate entry. Mornings bring the cleanest light on the tiled domes; late afternoon turns the brick warm. The Shah Mosque fills on Fridays for congregational prayers. Si-o-se-pol, the 1602 bridge of thirty-three arches a kilometre south of the square, is the longest of eleven historic Safavid bridges over the Zayandeh. The river itself now runs seasonally because of upstream diversion to other basins in the province.

— where
Iran · Isfahan, Isfahan Province
— elevation
1,590 m · 5,217 ft
— position
32.6546° N · 51.6680° 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
Si-o-se-pol Bridge
bridge
1 km W
Chehel Sotoun
palace
2 km NE
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
mosque
3 km SW
Vank Cathedral
cathedral
220 km N
Kashan
desert city
320 km SE
Yazd
desert city
N
Isfahan
Si-o-se-pol Bridge
Chehel Sotoun
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
Vank Cathedral
Kashan
Yazd
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Esfahān nesf-e jahān is a Persian saying dating to the seventeenth century, when Shah Abbas's capital rivalled the great cities of Europe and Asia in scale, architecture, and trade. The phrase remains in everyday use today.

A public square at the centre of Isfahan, laid out by Shah Abbas I from 1598. It measures 160 by 560 metres, framed by the Shah Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Ali Qapu, and the Qeysarie Bazaar gate. UNESCO inscribed it in 1979.

From 1598 to 1722 under the Safavid dynasty, beginning with Shah Abbas I, who moved the capital from Qazvin. The Afghan invasion of 1722 ended Safavid rule, and the seat of empire later moved to Tehran under the Qajars.

A Safavid-era arch bridge across the Zayandeh River, completed in 1602 under Shah Abbas I. The name means thirty-three arches in Persian. It is the longest of Isfahan's eleven historic bridges, about 297 metres long.

Spring from April through early June, and autumn from late September through November, are mildest and clearest. Summer is hot and dry; winter is cold with occasional snow. Friday prayers fill the Shah Mosque around midday.

A small Safavid mosque on the east side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, built between 1602 and 1619 as the royal women's private chapel. It has no minaret and no courtyard, and its cream-and-pink dome carries a peacock motif in the centre.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many of our customers with Persian roots. The artwork holds the turquoise domes and the cantered brick rather than tourist shorthand. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The piece sits well in Jewel-tone Maximalist, Bohemian, and warm Mediterranean rooms. The turquoise, lapis, and gold pick up Persian rugs, walnut, and brass; the cream domes cool the palette.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console. A four-tile Mural fills a standard sofa wall, and a nine-tile Mural anchors a larger living-room run above a sectional.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist humidity and scratching and wipe clean with a damp cloth. The Glossy finish is best kept to drier wall art elsewhere in the home.

Microfibre cloth and water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish, so it does not lift with normal cleaning. No solvents needed.

Yes. Every WenderVista vista is drawn in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink language by Reid Wender, the curator. We don't license artwork from third parties.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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