Wender·Vista
Príncipe
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSão Tomé and Príncipe
a small volcanic island in the Gulf of Guinea

Príncipe

— — green towers the Atlantic forgot to wear down.

— 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 smaller of the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, off the coast of west-central Africa. Around seven thousand people live here, most of them in and around Santo António, the smallest capital in Africa. The interior is rainforest with volcanic plugs rising straight out of the canopy, the most famous of which is Pico Cão Grande. Cocoa roças from the Portuguese era stand half-reclaimed at the forest edge. UNESCO listed the whole island as a Biosphere Reserve in 2012. from the studio

from the studio
Príncipe
— bring it home

Príncipe, 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 Príncipe

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

Príncipe is the smaller of the two main islands of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, a Portuguese-speaking country in the Gulf of Guinea about 220 kilometres off the coast of Gabon. The island covers roughly 142 square kilometres and holds a population of around seven thousand. Its capital, Santo António, is the smallest in Africa. Príncipe is volcanic in origin, part of the Cameroon volcanic line, and its interior is dominated by old eroded plugs of phonolite rising sheer from rainforest. UNESCO designated the whole island a Biosphere Reserve in 2012.

— the stone

Pico Cão Grande, the Great Dog Peak, rises 663 metres straight out of the southern rainforest as a near-vertical needle of phonolite, the remnant core of an extinct volcano. It is the most photographed natural feature on the island and a rare technical climbing objective. Smaller plugs, Pico Papagaio and Pico Mencorne among them, ring the interior and give the skyline its distinctive serrated shape. Most of the rainforest and these peaks fall inside Obô Natural Park, which protects roughly half of Príncipe's land area and a number of endemic bird species found only on this island.

— the visit

Príncipe is reached by a short flight from São Tomé, the larger island, with daily turboprop service of around thirty-five minutes. There is no commercial sea ferry on a regular schedule. Most visitors stay in eco-lodges built into restored cocoa roças such as Roça Sundy, where the historic plantation houses have been converted to small hotels. The dry season runs roughly June through September. Walking trails into Obô Park usually require a guide arranged through the park office or a lodge, in part because of the dense forest and in part because of the endemic species the park is set up to protect.

— where
São Tomé and Príncipe · Autonomous Region of Príncipe
— within
Obô Natural Park
— position
1.6131° N · 7.4056° 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
Santo António
capital town
15 km S
Pico Cão Grande
phonolite peak
150 km SW
São Tomé Island
sister island
N
Príncipe
Santo António
Pico Cão Grande
São Tomé Island
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In the Gulf of Guinea, about 220 kilometres off the coast of Gabon. It is the smaller of the two main islands of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, a Portuguese-speaking country in west-central Africa.

About 142 square kilometres with a population of around seven thousand. Its capital, Santo António, is the smallest capital city in Africa.

A 663-metre vertical needle of phonolite, the eroded core of an extinct volcano, rising straight out of the rainforest in southern Príncipe. It is the most recognised natural feature on the island.

Yes. UNESCO designated the whole island a Biosphere Reserve in 2012, and Obô Natural Park protects roughly half of its land area, including most of the rainforest and the volcanic peaks.

By a short turboprop flight from São Tomé Island, the country's larger island, of about thirty-five minutes. There is no regular commercial passenger ferry between the two islands.

Portuguese is the official language. A local creole, Principense or Lung'Ie, is also spoken, though by a small and declining number of speakers.

— about the piece in your home

Yes — Príncipe is little known and warmly received. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well for someone who has spent time in the Gulf of Guinea or worked in Lusophone Africa.

The deep forest greens and Atlantic blues sit well in biophilic interiors, in tropical-modern rooms with rattan and dark wood, and in Jewel-tone Maximalist spaces that can carry strong colour.

It fits the current move toward art that names a real ecosystem rather than a generic palm leaf. A Medium or Large of Príncipe reads as a specific rainforest, not a stock motif.

A single Large carries the volcanic peaks well. A four-tile Mural lets the canopy breathe; a nine-tile Mural is the choice when the wall is the room.

Yes — choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splashes, while the Glossy finish is best kept to framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasive sponges, no household sprays. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so it does not fade with ordinary cleaning.

Yes. Reid Wender is the curator and eye behind every WenderVista piece. The studio works as a single family operation in Knoxville, Tennessee, with no outside licensing.

— 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.