Wender·Vista
San Pietro in Vincoli
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
on the Oppian Hill, above the Colosseum

San Pietro in Vincoli

— — the chains, and the Moses no one finished.

— 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 fifth-century basilica on the Oppian Hill, a few minutes' walk above the Colosseum. It holds two unrelated things people come for: the chains of Saint Peter, sealed beneath the high altar, and Michelangelo's Moses, the centrepiece of a tomb for Pope Julius II that was meant to be the largest in Christendom and ended up against the south transept wall.

from the studio
San Pietro in Vincoli
— bring it home

San Pietro in Vincoli, 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 San Pietro in Vincoli

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 Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli stands on the Oppian Hill in Rome's Monti district, a short climb above the Colosseum. It was founded in the 430s under Empress Licinia Eudoxia to house the chains said to have bound Saint Peter in Jerusalem and again in Rome. The chains are kept in a reliquary beneath the high altar. The basilica was rebuilt under Pope Sixtus IV in the 1470s and again under Pope Julius II in the early sixteenth century. It serves today as a titular church, attached to the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

— the stone

The basilica's draw, for most visitors, is Michelangelo's Moses, carved in Carrara marble between 1513 and 1515 for the tomb of Pope Julius II. The horns on Moses's head come from a Vulgate translation of Exodus 34, where Jerome rendered the Hebrew karan as cornuta. The tomb was planned with forty figures and never finished; Moses sits flanked by Rachel and Leah against the south transept wall. Vasari called the Moses the work that earned Michelangelo immortality among the living.

— the visit

San Pietro in Vincoli sits a five-minute walk from the Colosseum, reached up the Salita dei Borgia and along Via di San Francesco di Paola. The nearest Metro stop is Cavour on Line B. Entrance is free; modest dress is expected. The basilica is generally open from morning through early afternoon and again in the late afternoon, closing through the long midday break. The chains are visible in the confessio beneath the high altar; the Moses sits to the right of the nave as you enter.

— informed by Turismo Roma
— where
Italy · Rome, Lazio
— position
41.8938° N · 12.4933° 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.
0.4 km S
Colosseum
Roman amphitheatre
0.5 km SW
Roman Forum
ancient site
0.3 km E
Domus Aurea
Nero's palace
0.3 km N
Cavour Metro
metro station
0.4 km N
Monti
Roman district
N
San Pietro in Vincoli
Colosseum
Roman Forum
Domus Aurea
Cavour Metro
Monti
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about San Pietro in Vincoli — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

San Pietro in Vincoli is a fifth-century basilica in Rome, on the Oppian Hill above the Colosseum. It is named for the chains said to have bound Saint Peter in Jerusalem and in Rome.

The basilica is famous for two things: the relic chains of Saint Peter, kept beneath the high altar, and Michelangelo's Moses, the centrepiece of the unfinished tomb of Pope Julius II.

Michelangelo carved the Moses in Carrara marble between 1513 and 1515 for the tomb of Pope Julius II. The tomb was planned with forty figures and never completed at its original scale.

The horns come from Jerome's Latin Vulgate translation of Exodus 34, which rendered the Hebrew karan as cornuta, horned, rather than radiant. Medieval and Renaissance artists followed Jerome.

The basilica was founded in the 430s under Empress Licinia Eudoxia. It was rebuilt under Pope Sixtus IV in the 1470s and renovated again under Pope Julius II in the early sixteenth century.

The nearest Metro stop is Cavour on Line B, about five minutes uphill. From the Colosseum it is a short walk up the Salita dei Borgia and along Via di San Francesco di Paola.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The basilica is a quieter Roman stop than the Forum or the Vatican, so the tile reads as a knowing choice. A Small or Medium with a studio note suits an art lover.

The warm travertine palette and sculpted shadows suit Italianate, Jewel-tone Maximalist, and warm-classical rooms. It pairs with walnut, oxblood leather, and brass.

Yes. The Renaissance palette has returned to current rooms through the warm-classical and quiet-luxury directions, so the tile reads contemporary even with its sixteenth-century subject.

A single Large reads cleanly above a sofa. A 4-tile Mural carries the basilica facade across a wider wall; a 9-tile Mural anchors a formal dining room or library.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical install in a bath, shower, or kitchen backsplash. The Glossy finish suits framed wall art in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath the finish, so it will not lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is drawn and finished in our Knoxville studio. The work is not licensed from any third party and not reproduced from any photograph in the public domain.

— 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.
— a collection

The Italian Dolomites,
painted slow.

The valleys between Cortina and Val Gardena, the tarns you walk an hour to see, the towers that turn the colour of a banked fire just before dark. Wander the collection by valley, by season, or follow the path Reid walked.

Tre Cime
Braies
Misurina
Sorapis
Cinque Torri
Sassolungo
Marmolada