Wender·Vista
Bagan
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMyanmar
on the dry plain of the Irrawaddy in central Myanmar

Bagan

— the morning the balloons go up over the temples.

— 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 dry plain on a bend of the Irrawaddy in central Myanmar where more than two thousand brick stupas and temples still stand. The Pagan Kingdom built them between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries; UNESCO inscribed the site in 2019. At dawn a haze of dust and woodsmoke rises off the plain and the balloons climb above Ananda and Dhammayangyi.

from the studio
Bagan
— bring it home

Bagan, 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 Bagan

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

Bagan covers about 104 square kilometres on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar, roughly 290 kilometres south-west of Mandalay. It was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first state to unify the regions of present-day Myanmar, from about 1044 to 1297. UNESCO inscribed Bagan as a World Heritage Site in 2019. More than two thousand brick stupas, temples, and monasteries survive on the plain, from an original construction count estimated above ten thousand.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia
— the stone

Ananda Temple, finished around 1105 under King Kyansittha, is the most refined survivor — a cruciform plan with four standing Buddhas and a gilded sikhara. Dhammayangyi, the largest temple by mass, was raised by King Narathu in the 1170s but never completed inside. Thatbyinnyu rises about 61 metres, the tallest on the plain. Brick laid without mortar in places, stucco that still holds in others, and a colour the warm rose of old terracotta.

— informed by Wikipedia: Ananda Temple
— the dawn

The reason most visitors come is the sunrise. Hot-air balloon operations run from October through March, weather permitting, lifting off before first light from the river plain. Ground viewpoints include the Bulethi terrace and several earthen mounds, since the 2016 earthquake closed the temple terraces themselves to climbing. The dust haze across the plain catches first light and turns the brick the colour of warm clay for about twenty minutes before the day flattens it.

— where
Myanmar · Nyaung-U, Mandalay Region
— within
Bagan Archaeological Zone
— position
21.1717° N · 94.8585° 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.
50 km SE
Mount Popa
monastery on a volcanic plug
145 km NE
Mandalay
former royal capital
N
Bagan
Mount Popa
Mandalay
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Bagan was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom from about 1044 to 1297. Most of the surviving brick temples were raised during this 250-year window, with the largest concentration of construction in the twelfth century.

More than 2,000 brick stupas, temples, and monasteries survive on the plain today. Estimates of the original count, before centuries of earthquakes and erosion, run above 10,000 structures across the archaeological zone.

UNESCO inscribed Bagan as a World Heritage Site in 2019. The nomination followed a sustained restoration debate after the August 2016 magnitude 6.8 earthquake damaged several of the major temples.

Climbing on temple terraces has been restricted since the 2016 earthquake. Sunrise viewing now uses earthen mounds and the Bulethi terrace, which the archaeological authority maintains as designated viewpoints.

Dhammayangyi, raised by King Narathu in the 1170s, is the largest temple by mass. Thatbyinnyu, at about 61 metres, is the tallest. Ananda, finished around 1105, is generally considered the most refined.

— about the piece in your home

It has been. Bagan is one of the most recognised places in the country and carries quiet weight for diaspora families. The Medium with a handwritten note from the studio has been the usual gift-size choice.

The terracotta and gilded ochre suit a warm transitional room, a jewel-tone maximalist wall, or a Japandi study where the architecture grounds a quieter palette. The piece reads as horizon and silhouette.

A Large carries a sofa wall on its own. For a longer room a four-tile Mural extends the temple line across the plain. Above a console the Medium sits well; a Small works in a hallway.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for damp or splash-prone walls. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and the finish wipes clean over years of use.

A soft microfibre cloth and clear water. Skip ammonia and abrasives. The piece is hand-finished in the Knoxville studio and the surface keeps its sheen with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the single Knoxville studio, curated by Reid Wender. The work is not licensed from outside artists and is hand-finished in-house.

— if this one stayed with you

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