City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Africa

South Africa's administrative capital, on the Highveld north of Johannesburg

City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

— the week the jacarandas turn the city purple.

— 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

“Pretoria and a ring of older towns and townships, gathered into one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world by surface area. Sandstone Union Buildings on Meintjieskop, Church Square at the center, and roughly 70,000 jacaranda trees that bloom together for two weeks every October and turn whole avenues into a violet ceiling. The Highveld light is dry and clear, and the city sits a mile above the sea. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, 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 City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

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 City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is one of three metros in Gauteng Province, South Africa, covering roughly 6,300 square kilometers and home to about 3.6 million residents. It contains Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, along with Centurion, Akasia, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Soshanguve, and a long northern reach to the edge of Limpopo. The municipality was formed in 2000 by merging thirteen separate authorities and was renamed Tshwane after the Ndebele chief whose name local historians translate as we are the same. Elevation at the city center is about 1,339 meters.

— informed by Wikipedia — City of Tshwane, Wikipedia — Pretoria

— the season

The jacarandas are not native. They were planted across Pretoria in the late nineteenth century and now number around 70,000 trees, lining streets across the older suburbs of Arcadia, Sunnyside, Brooklyn, and Waterkloof. They bloom in a tight window from mid-October to early November, with peak color usually around the third week of October, and the university students consider it bad luck if a blossom hits you on the head before exams begin. The same two weeks bring the first summer thunderstorms across the Highveld.

— informed by Wikipedia — Pretoria

— the stone

The Union Buildings sit on Meintjieskop above the city, completed in 1913 to a design by Sir Herbert Baker in honey-colored sandstone quarried locally. Two symmetrical wings meet at a central amphitheater, originally meant to represent the union of the two European-settler languages, now the seat of the South African presidency and the site where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated in May 1994. A nine-meter bronze statue of Mandela, unveiled in 2013, stands on the south lawn looking out across the city toward the Magaliesberg.

— informed by Wikipedia — Union Buildings

— where

South Africa · Gauteng Province, South Africa

— elevation

1,339 m · 4,393 ft

— position

-25.7479° S · 28.2293° 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.

2 km E

Union Buildings

government complex

1 km C

Church Square

historic square

6 km S

Voortrekker Monument

monument

45 km W

Magaliesberg

mountain range

55 km S

Johannesburg

city

City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

Union Buildings

Church Square

Voortrekker Monument

Magaliesberg

Johannesburg

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

In Gauteng Province, South Africa, on the Highveld plateau about 55 kilometers north of Johannesburg. It contains Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, at roughly 1,339 meters elevation.

Not exactly. Pretoria is the historic city; Tshwane is the metropolitan municipality that includes Pretoria, Centurion, Mamelodi, Soshanguve, and several other towns and townships across about 6,300 square kilometers.

Roughly 70,000 jacaranda trees were planted across Pretoria starting in the late 1800s. They bloom in unison for about two weeks in mid-to-late October and turn entire avenues into a violet canopy.

The seat of the South African presidency, designed by Herbert Baker in honey sandstone and completed in 1913, set on Meintjieskop above the city. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated there in May 1994.

Mid-October through early November for the jacaranda bloom and the first Highveld thunderstorms. The Southern Hemisphere autumn months of April and May are dry and clear with fewer crowds.

Local historians translate Tshwane as we are the same. The municipality was renamed in 2005 after a Ndebele chief whose people lived along the Apies River before European arrival.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The jacaranda bloom is one of the most universally beloved memories of the city. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well to a South African expatriate or a returning alumnus of the University of Pretoria.

The violet-and-sandstone palette sits naturally in Modern Eclectic, Jewel-tone Maximalist, and warm Mid-Century rooms. It also lifts a quiet neutral library or a study with brass and dark wood.

Yes. Purple and amber together fit the current Maximalist and New Traditional movements. The piece reads especially well against a warm white wall or a dark green paneled one.

A single Large suits a console or a narrow sofa. For a wider room, the 4-tile Mural holds the wall, and the 9-tile Mural turns the space into the room people stop in.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for either room. The color is locked into the tile under high heat and pressure, so steam and splatter do not lift it.

A microfiber cloth and water. Skip ammonia and abrasive cleaners. The sealed ceramic surface releases dust and kitchen film with one wipe.

Yes. Painted, finished, and shipped from our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party imagery.

— if this one stayed with you