Wender·Vista
Sialkot
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePakistan
in northern Punjab, near the Kashmir foothills

Sialkot

— — a city that stitches the world's footballs.

— 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 large share of the footballs used at recent World Cups were hand-stitched in Sialkot. The Punjab city has made sporting goods, surgical instruments, and leather for over a century, and supplies a remarkable share of each globally. Allama Iqbal, the philosopher-poet whose work helped shape Pakistan, was born here in 1877. The old city still wraps around the Sialkot Fort, now a low mound near the cantonment.

from the studio
Sialkot
— bring it home

Sialkot, 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 Sialkot

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

Sialkot is a city of roughly 850,000 in northern Punjab, Pakistan, about 125 kilometres north-east of Lahore and close to the Indian border at the foothills of the Kashmir range. The settlement is ancient; the site of Sialkot Fort has been continuously occupied since at least the second century BCE under the kingdom of Sakala. The Aik Nullah, a tributary of the Chenab River, runs through the city. Modern Sialkot is one of Pakistan's three industrial hubs alongside Karachi and Faisalabad.

— informed by Wikipedia · Sialkot
— the year

Sialkot's industry was built across the twentieth century into one of the most concentrated craft-export clusters in the world. The city's workshops produce a large share of global hand-stitched footballs — Adidas sourced its Brazuca and Telstar 18 World Cup balls from local factory Forward Sports. Sialkot also manufactures surgical instruments exported to Europe and North America, and tanned leather goods. The Sialkot International Airport, opened in 2007, was built and is owned by the local chamber of commerce — the only privately financed international airport in Pakistan.

— the stone

The Sialkot Fort sits on a low mound in the old city, the original Sakala site. The Iqbal Manzil, the restored two-storey haveli where Allama Iqbal was born in 1877, stands a short walk away and is preserved as a national museum. The Clock Tower at Kashmiri Bazaar dates to 1921, raised during the British civil administration. The Murray College building, founded in 1889 by the Church of Scotland mission, still functions as a college and carries the original red brick along its facade.

— where
Pakistan · Sialkot, Punjab
— 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 N
Iqbal Manzil
historic house
at the lake
Sialkot Fort
ancient mound
2 km E
Murray College
college
125 km SW
Lahore
city
N
Sialkot
Iqbal Manzil
Sialkot Fort
Murray College
Lahore
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In northern Punjab, Pakistan, about 125 kilometres north-east of Lahore and close to the Indian border at the foothills of the Kashmir range. Population is roughly 850,000.

Hand-stitched footballs, surgical instruments, and leather goods, exported globally. Local factories supplied the Adidas Brazuca and Telstar 18 balls for the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

The philosopher-poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal, whose writing helped shape the idea of Pakistan, was born in Sialkot in 1877. His childhood home, the Iqbal Manzil, is preserved as a museum.

A low mound in the old city marking the site of ancient Sakala, occupied since at least the second century BCE. Most of the walls are gone; the mound and a gateway remain.

The Sialkot International Airport, opened in 2007 by the local chamber of commerce, runs flights to the Gulf and to other Pakistani cities. By road, Sialkot is about two hours north-east of Lahore.

Punjabi is the everyday spoken language; Urdu is used in schools, government, and business. English is the working language in the surgical instruments and sports goods export trade.

— about the piece in your home

It carries for that recipient. The piece reads to anyone who knows the old city or the Punjab plain. A Medium with a handwritten studio note travels well.

The brick-and-saffron palette suits warm South Asian gallery rooms, transitional spaces with brass and dark wood, and maximalist interiors that lean on textile and pattern.

Yes. The current interest in regional Punjabi and Mughal-influenced rooms has lifted ochre-and-rose palettes back into front rooms. The Sialkot piece carries that warmth without leaning on cliché.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the city's roofline; for a longer wall, a 9-tile Mural opens the bazaar.

Yes. Order it in Dura Satin for a soft sheen that resists scratches, or Matte for a flat finish. Both handle steam and splash from a guest bath or backsplash.

A dry microfibre cloth lifts dust. For anything more, a barely damp microfibre and clean water. No solvents, no abrasive pads, no glass cleaner.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to a single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reid Wender curates the atlas; the work is hand-finished in-house and never licensed.

— 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.