Wender·Vista
Jos
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNigeria
on the Jos Plateau in central Nigeria, more than a kilometre above the savanna

Jos

— — a cool city set high above a hot country.

— 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

“Jos sits on a granite plateau in the middle of Nigeria, around 1,200 metres up, where the air stays noticeably cooler than the lowland savanna below. The British built a tin-mining town here in the early twentieth century; the colonial bungalows and the National Museum on Museum Street still hold that footprint. The city is the capital of Plateau State and a meeting point for dozens of ethnic groups. Hillside churches and mosques share the same red laterite ridges.

from the studio
Jos
— bring it home

Jos, 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 Jos

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

Jos is the capital of Plateau State in north-central Nigeria, set on the Jos Plateau at an elevation of about 1,217 metres above sea level. The city's 2006 census recorded a metropolitan population of just over 900,000, and current estimates put the urban area above 1.1 million. It grew rapidly after the discovery of cassiterite tin in the surrounding hills around 1903, became a colonial mining centre under the Royal Niger Company and the British administration, and is now a regional hub for the University of Jos and for the produce trade that supplies cool-climate vegetables to Lagos and Abuja.

— the air

The plateau lifts Jos out of the heat that defines most of Nigeria. Average daytime highs sit around 28°C and nights in the dry season drop into the mid-teens, which is unusual in West Africa and is part of why the colonial administration chose the site for a regional capital. The harmattan, the dry Saharan wind that runs from November to February, fills the sky with fine red dust and pushes humidity below 20 per cent. Rains return in April and run through September; total annual rainfall on the plateau averages about 1,400 millimetres.

— the visit

The National Museum on Museum Street, founded in 1952, holds the largest collection of Nok terracotta sculpture in the country and an open-air Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture with full-scale replicas of buildings from Kano, Ilorin, Zaria, and Katsina. The adjacent zoological garden and the nearby Wildlife Park at Jos make a half-day visit. Hill viewpoints along the road to Bukuru and the Shere Hills east of the city give the cleanest sense of the plateau itself. Travellers should consult current Foreign Office advisories before planning a trip.

— informed by Wikipedia — Jos Museum
— where
Nigeria · Jos, Plateau State
— elevation
1,217 m · 3,993 ft
— position
9.8965° N · 8.8583° 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.
12 km E
Shere Hills
granite range
4 km S
Jos Wildlife Park
wildlife park
3 km N
University of Jos
university campus
15 km S
Bukuru
satellite town
N
Jos
Shere Hills
Jos Wildlife Park
University of Jos
Bukuru
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In north-central Nigeria, on the Jos Plateau, about 1,217 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Plateau State and sits roughly 300 kilometres north-east of Abuja by road via the A237 and A3.

Elevation. The plateau lifts the city out of lowland heat, so daytime highs average around 28°C and dry-season nights cool into the mid-teens. The harmattan dust season runs from November to February.

Tin mining drew the colonial town up to the plateau after 1903, and mining tailings still mark the surrounding hills. Today the city is known for the University of Jos, the National Museum, and the produce trade.

Jos grew out of a Royal Niger Company camp serving the early tin fields and was formally established as a township under British administration in 1915. The local Berom and Anaguta communities long predate the colonial town.

The 2006 census put the metropolitan area at about 900,000. Current estimates place the urban population above 1.1 million, drawn from Berom, Anaguta, Afizere, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba communities, among others.

Founded in 1952 on Museum Street, the Jos Museum holds the country's largest collection of Nok terracotta sculpture and an open-air Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture with full-scale replicas from Kano, Ilorin, Zaria, and Katsina.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Jos is the home city most people from the plateau name first, and many diaspora families came up through the University of Jos. A Small or a Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries that recognition well.

The warm laterite-red and granite-grey palette suits warm-modern, earth-tone, and African-modern interiors. It sits well beside teak, woven raffia, and the indigo textiles common in Nigerian design today.

Yes. The piece reads as place rather than pattern, which is the register African-modern rooms tend to favour. A Medium over a console or a Large above a reading chair both work.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural usually scales right. Above a console table, a Medium or a horizontal Triptych reads better than a Large.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and wipe clean; the Glossy finish is best kept to drier walls.

A microfibre cloth and plain water are enough for normal dust. For kitchen or bathroom installs in Dura Satin or Matte, the same cloth with a little mild soap is safe. Skip abrasive sponges and ammonia-based sprays.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is painted in-house at the Knoxville studio and is not licensed from any third party. The image is exclusive to Wender Studios and is not sold through any other retailer.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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