Wender·Vista
Saint Martin
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSint Maarten
in the northern Leeward Islands, two flags on one shore

Saint Martin

— — the smallest island shared by two countries.

— 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

“Saint Martin sits in the northeastern Caribbean, a small volcanic island shared between the French Collectivity of Saint-Martin in the north and the Dutch country of Sint Maarten in the south. The island covers about 87 square kilometres, the smallest landmass on earth divided between two sovereign states — a split set by the Treaty of Concordia in 1648. The border is unmarked on most roads. Maho Beach, at the southern end, sits directly under the approach to Princess Juliana International Airport, where wide-bodies pass low over the sand. — from the studio

from the studio
Saint Martin
— bring it home

Saint Martin, 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 Saint Martin

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

Saint Martin is a small island in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, about 300 kilometres east of Puerto Rico. The island covers roughly 87 square kilometres and is shared by two sovereign powers: the northern 60 percent is the French Collectivity of Saint-Martin, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic, and the southern 40 percent is Sint Maarten, a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The division was set by the Treaty of Concordia, signed at Mount Concordia in 1648, making the partition one of the longest-standing peaceful borders in the world.

— the water

The island's coastline runs about 84 kilometres and holds more than thirty named beaches. The Simpson Bay Lagoon, between the two halves, is one of the largest enclosed lagoons in the Caribbean at roughly 13 square kilometres and serves as a hurricane harbour and yacht anchorage. Orient Bay on the French east coast carries a long crescent of reef-protected water; Grand Case to the north is the island's culinary village. The highest point, Pic Paradis, rises to 424 metres in the centre of the French side and looks out over both coasts and the surrounding islands of Anguilla, Saba, and Saint Barthélemy.

— the visit

Princess Juliana International Airport on the Dutch side is the principal gateway to the island and one of the most photographed airports in the world: the runway begins about thirty metres from the sand of Maho Beach, and arriving wide-body jets pass low overhead on final approach. The island has no internal border control between the two sides; visitors cross from French to Dutch territory along an unmarked road. Hurricane season runs June through November, with September the highest-risk month; Hurricane Irma struck the island as a Category 5 storm on 6 September 2017 and reconstruction continued for several years.

— where
Sint Maarten · Saint Martin / Sint Maarten
— elevation
424 m · 1,391 ft
— position
18.0708° N · 63.0501° W
— 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.
8 km S
Maho Beach
beach
5 km N
Grand Case
village
4 km C
Pic Paradis
peak
N
Saint Martin
Maho Beach
Grand Case
Pic Paradis
— common questions

What people ask.

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

France and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, agreeing to share the island peacefully. The partition has held for more than 375 years and is one of the longest-standing peaceful international borders in the world.

The island covers about 87 square kilometres. The French Collectivity of Saint-Martin holds the northern 60 percent and Sint Maarten holds the southern 40 percent, making it the smallest landmass on earth divided between two sovereign states.

Saint-Martin is the French side — an overseas collectivity of France using the euro. Sint Maarten is the Dutch side — a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands using the Caribbean guilder, with the US dollar widely accepted.

No. There is no border control on the road between the French and Dutch halves; the boundary is marked only by small monuments. A single passport entry covers both sides for most visitors.

Maho Beach sits at the eastern end of the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport. Wide-body jets pass roughly thirty metres above the sand on final approach, and the beach has become one of the most photographed plane-spotting locations in the world.

June through November, with peak risk in late August and September. Hurricane Irma struck the island as a Category 5 storm on 6 September 2017, causing widespread damage that took several years to rebuild.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with island roots, repeat visitors, and second-home owners. The view reads as Saint Martin at first glance — the bay, the reef, the volcanic spine. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The turquoise-and-sand palette sits well in Coastal Modern, Caribbean, and Tropical Maximalist interiors. It also lifts a Modern Beach House room when the rest of the wall stays neutral and lets the water carry the colour.

Yes. The current Coastal Modern lean — specific island geography over generic palm-tree motifs — places this comfortably with named-place coastal art. It reads as a real Caribbean island, not a stock beach scene.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large carries the wall; for a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural at 24x24 inches sits well, and a 9-tile Mural reads at room scale. Above a console, a Medium is the usual answer.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to the humidity of a shower wall or a backsplash. Save the Glossy for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth and water. Nothing more. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin finish, so it will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every piece in the WenderVista atlas is original work from our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license other artists, and the artwork is not sold elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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