Wender·Vista
Pretoria
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Africa
in Gauteng, an hour north of Johannesburg

Pretoria

— — the week the jacarandas turn the streets 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
— 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 administrative capital of South Africa, set in a high-veld basin an hour north of Johannesburg. Each October roughly 70,000 jacaranda trees come into bloom along the streets, dropping a violet carpet that catches the light. Above the city, Herbert Baker's Union Buildings hold the slope in long sandstone wings. Below them, a nine-metre statue of Nelson Mandela stands with his arms open over the lawn.

from the studio
Pretoria
— bring it home

Pretoria, 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 Pretoria

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

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa and the seat of the executive branch, including the office of the President. It sits at around 1,339 metres in the Magaliesberg foothills of Gauteng province, about an hour by road north of Johannesburg. The 2011 census put the metropolitan population at about 2.9 million within the City of Tshwane, the wider municipality. The city was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Pretorius and named for his father, the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the season

Pretoria is sometimes called the Jacaranda City for the roughly 70,000 Jacaranda mimosifolia trees lining its streets. The species, native to Argentina and Bolivia, was introduced in the 1880s and now dominates the spring canopy. Bloom runs from early October to mid-November, peaking around the third week of October. University of Pretoria students hold to the old saying that if a jacaranda flower drops on you before an exam, you will pass.

— the stone

The Union Buildings sit on Meintjieskop above the city, a 285-metre sandstone crescent designed by Herbert Baker and completed in 1913 to mark the unification of South Africa. Two domed wings, once representing the English and Afrikaner languages, flank an amphitheatre where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated in 1994. A nine-metre bronze statue of Mandela by Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren was unveiled on the south lawn in December 2013, ten days after his death.

— where
South Africa · City of Tshwane, Gauteng
— 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
6 km S
Voortrekker Monument
monument
56 km S
Johannesburg
city
N
Pretoria
Union Buildings
Voortrekker Monument
Johannesburg
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Pretoria is the administrative capital, home to the executive branch and most foreign embassies. Cape Town holds the legislature and Bloemfontein the judiciary, an arrangement set out at Union in 1910.

About 70,000 Jacaranda mimosifolia trees line Pretoria's streets, planted from the 1880s onward. Their lavender bloom in October and November turns the city violet and gave it the common nickname.

The seat of South Africa's executive government, designed by architect Herbert Baker and opened in 1913. Set on Meintjieskop, the 285-metre sandstone crescent has hosted every presidential inauguration since 1994.

A nine-metre bronze of Nelson Mandela with arms open, sculpted by Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren and unveiled on the Union Buildings south lawn in December 2013, ten days after his death.

September through November is mild and dry, with jacarandas in bloom across October. Summer months from December bring afternoon thunderstorms, and winter nights from June can drop close to freezing.

Pretoria is the historic city; Tshwane is the larger municipality created in 2000 that includes Pretoria and surrounding towns. Locals and the central business district still use the name Pretoria daily.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for people who studied at the University of Pretoria, grew up in the eastern suburbs, or moved abroad from Gauteng. The Medium hangs cleanly above a desk; the Large suits a hallway.

It works in warm earthy rooms, modern African interiors, and rooms built around indigenous wood and brass. The violet-and-sandstone palette also reads well in jewel-tone Maximalist spaces.

Yes, for the rising interest in Modern African and Afro-modern interiors, where indigenous materials and the tones of African cities are foregrounded over imported European palettes.

A single Large reads well above most consoles; a 4-tile Mural fits a standard sofa, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a longer wall above a sectional or king bed.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and suited to vertical installations near water; the Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces.

Wipe with a soft microfibre cloth and water. No chemical cleaners are needed; the colour lives in the ceramic surface under the finish and will not fade with cleaning.

Yes. Every piece is curated by Reid Wender and made in our Knoxville studio. We do not license images, and the visual language is not reproduced elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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