shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileRussia

on Mamayev Hill above Volgograd, on the Volga

The Motherland Calls

Name: The Motherland Calls — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — the figure raised over Stalingrad's longest winter.

— 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

— 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 colossal sculpture crowning Mamayev Kurgan, the hill that decided the Battle of Stalingrad. Eighty-five metres from base to swordtip, completed in 1967 by the sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich. For more than two decades she was the tallest statue on earth. She is the heart of a memorial complex commemorating the soldiers and civilians killed in the longest, costliest battle of the Second World War.

from the studio

— bring it home

The Motherland Calls, 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 The Motherland Calls

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 Motherland Calls stands on Mamayev Kurgan, the prominent hill above the city of Volgograd, called Stalingrad until 1961, on the western bank of the Volga River. The complete figure with raised sword measures 85 metres from base to tip and weighs roughly 8,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete. Completed in October 1967 under the sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and the engineer Nikolai Nikitin, the figure was the tallest statue in the world until the Ushiku Daibutsu in Japan was finished in 1993.

— informed by Wikipedia — The Motherland Calls, Wikipedia — Mamayev Kurgan

— the stone

Mamayev Kurgan was the most fought-over high ground in the Battle of Stalingrad from September 1942 through February 1943. The hill changed hands at least fourteen times. Soviet and Axis casualties at Stalingrad together passed one and a half million; the city was reduced to rubble and rebuilt from foundations. The memorial complex Vuchetich designed climbs the hill in stages, past the Avenue of Poplars, the ruined Wall, and the Hall of Military Glory with its eternal flame, and ends at the figure herself.

— informed by Wikipedia — Battle of Stalingrad

— the visit

Mamayev Kurgan is open year-round, free of charge, and reached easily on foot from central Volgograd or by tram to Mamayev Kurgan station. The 200-step ascent passes the full sequence of memorials by design, and the Hall of Military Glory holds a permanent honour guard. Visits are heaviest on 9 May, Victory Day, and on 2 February, the anniversary of the German surrender at Stalingrad. Winter light on the river side of the hill is sharp and long.

— informed by Wikipedia — Mamayev Kurgan

— where

Russia · Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast

— within

Mamayev Kurgan Memorial Complex

— elevation

102 m · 335 ft

— position

48.7423° N · 44.5378° E

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about The Motherland Calls — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The figure measures 85 metres from base to swordtip, with the woman herself standing 52 metres tall. It was the tallest statue in the world from 1967 until the early 1990s.

Yevgeny Vuchetich, with structural engineering by Nikolai Nikitin, the same engineer who designed the Ostankino television tower in Moscow. The figure is built of reinforced concrete prestressed with steel cables.

It commemorates the soldiers and civilians of the Battle of Stalingrad, fought from August 1942 through February 1943, the costliest single battle of the Second World War, with combined casualties above one and a half million.

The hill is named for Mamai, a fourteenth-century Tatar military commander said to have camped there. During the battle, it was the most fought-over high ground in Stalingrad.

The city was called Stalingrad from 1925 to 1961, when it was renamed Volgograd. The statue stands in present-day Volgograd, though signage around the memorial uses Stalingrad in connection with the 1942 to 1943 dates.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for a Russian-speaking household, a veteran's family, or anyone who has visited Mamayev Kurgan. The Small or a Coaster Set pairs naturally with a handwritten note from the studio.

The figure's grey-and-storm palette holds in modern, traditional European, and quiet jewel-tone schemes. It sits well against dark wood and against pale plaster walls in roughly equal measure.

Yes. Commemorative pieces are seeing renewed interest tied to family history and Second World War anniversaries. The stained-glass colour gives the figure room to read as art rather than monument photograph.

A single Large suits a standard sofa or console. A four-tile Mural goes above a wider sectional; a nine-tile Mural reads from across a room and anchors a feature wall.

Yes. For wet rooms and backsplashes, choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish instead of Glossy. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash without issue.

Microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive pads, no ammonia cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so a damp wipe is all it ever needs.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to Reid Wender and the studio. Nothing is licensed in or resold. One eye, one atlas of places.

— if this one stayed with you