Wender·Vista
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
on the Capitoline Hill above the Roman Forum

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

— the foundation that outlasted the temple.

— 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 most important temple of ancient Rome, set on the Capitoline Hill above the Forum. It was dedicated in 509 BC, the first year of the Republic, and burned and rebuilt three times before late antiquity carried the last of its marble away. What survives is the tufa foundation, visible inside the Capitoline Museums, holding the shape of the building Rome built itself around.

from the studio
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
— bring it home

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, 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 Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

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 temple stood at the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, the smaller and more sacred of Rome's seven hills, directly above the Roman Forum. It housed the Capitoline Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The original temple, traditionally dedicated in 509 BC, measured roughly 60 by 55 metres at its base, making it among the largest in the Mediterranean world. The site is now occupied by the Palazzo Caffarelli and the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which together form the Capitoline Museums.

— informed by Wikipedia, Capitoline Museums
— the stone

The foundations are cut from cappellaccio tufa, the soft volcanic stone Rome was first built from, quarried locally on the Capitoline itself. Three reconstructions followed catastrophic fires in 83 BC, 69 AD and 80 AD; the final temple was sheathed in marble and roofed with gilded bronze tiles taken later for other building projects. The tufa platform survives because it was too large and too embedded to dismantle, and now sits inside the Palazzo dei Conservatori as the oldest visible masonry on the hill.

— the year

The temple was dedicated on the Ides of September, the day Rome's triumphal processions traditionally ended at its steps. Generals returning from victory climbed the Capitoline to lay laurels in Jupiter's lap. The cult continued until the late fourth century, when the closure of pagan temples under Theodosius effectively ended the rite. By the medieval period the marble had been carried off, leaving only the foundation the city had grown around for more than a thousand years.

— informed by Wikipedia: Roman triumph
— where
Italy · Rome, Lazio
— position
41.8929° N · 12.4828° 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.
at the lake
Roman Forum
ancient site
at the lake
Palatine Hill
ancient site
1 km NW
Pantheon
Roman temple
1 km N
Trevi Fountain
fountain
at the lake
Capitoline Museums
museum
N
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
Roman Forum
Palatine Hill
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Capitoline Museums
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, directly above the Roman Forum. The surviving foundations are inside the Capitoline Museums, in the Palazzo Caffarelli and the Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Traditionally dedicated in 509 BC, the first year of the Roman Republic. Three later reconstructions followed major fires in 83 BC, 69 AD and 80 AD before the temple's final decline in late antiquity.

The Capitoline Triad: Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno Regina and Minerva. The cult was Rome's most important state religion, and triumphal processions ended at the temple's steps with offerings laid before Jupiter.

The original foundation measures roughly 60 by 55 metres, making the temple among the largest in the ancient Mediterranean world. Later reconstructions kept the footprint and added marble cladding and a gilded bronze roof.

The tufa foundation is visible inside the Capitoline Museums, integrated into the Palazzo Caffarelli and the Palazzo dei Conservatori. The visible blocks are the original sixth-century BC cappellaccio masonry.

Pagan worship ended under Theodosius in the late fourth century, and the building was abandoned. The marble and bronze were carried off through the medieval period for use elsewhere, leaving only the foundation.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a good fit for buyers with study or family ties to Rome, especially those drawn to the ancient city rather than the baroque. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The tile reads in classical-traditional, library-modern and warm-minimalist rooms. The stone palette sits against walnut, brass and travertine without competing with stronger objects already in the room.

Yes. Warm-minimalist rooms have moved toward named-site classical art rather than generic ruins prints, and a specifically named Roman foundation fits that direction directly.

A single Large reads at five or six feet. For a wider wall, the 4-tile Mural sits well above a sofa; the 9-tile Mural carries a long console behind a dining room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with moisture or steam. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and does not lift.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough. No solvents are needed; the colour lives in the surface itself, so a damp wipe is the only maintenance the tile needs over its life.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated by Reid Wender and produced in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license the imagery from anywhere else.

— 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