shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSwitzerland

above Lucerne, on the western side of the lake

Mount Pilatus

— the dragon mountain, when the cloud comes in over the lake.

— 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

“A jagged limestone massif rising 2,128 metres above Lucerne, named for the storms that gather on its summits. The cog railway from Alpnachstad climbs a 48 percent gradient, the steepest in the world, opened in 1889. Cable cars run from Kriens through Krienseregg and Fraekmuentegg. Above the cloud line the air thins and the lake below disappears in white.

from the studio

— bring it home

Mount Pilatus, 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 Mount Pilatus

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

Mount Pilatus is a multi-summit limestone massif on the southern shore of Lake Lucerne, in central Switzerland. The highest peak, Tomlishorn, reaches 2,128 metres; the slightly lower Esel summit at 2,119 metres is the point most visitors actually stand on. The massif sits in the Emmental Alps, bridging the cantons of Lucerne, Obwalden, and Nidwalden. Lake Lucerne lies directly to the north and east. The mountain has carried dragon and ghost legends since the Middle Ages, attached in folk tradition to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

— informed by Wikipedia, Pilatus Bahnen

— the visit

Two routes reach the top. The cog railway from Alpnachstad, opened in 1889 with a maximum gradient of 48 percent, runs from May through November and closes for winter. The Dragon Ride aerial cableway from Kriens runs all year in two stages through Krienseregg and Fraekmuentegg to the summit station at 2,073 metres. The combined Golden Round Trip, from Lucerne by lake steamer to Alpnachstad and down by gondola to Kriens, is the standard one-day pattern. Adult round-trip fares run roughly 80 to 110 Swiss francs depending on season.

— informed by Pilatus Bahnen

— the air

Above 1,800 metres the air carries a different weight: the foehn wind off the southern Alps meets damp lake air, and cloud forms and lifts within minutes. The Pilatus weather station, run by MeteoSwiss, has recorded gusts above 200 kilometres per hour. From the Esel summit on a clear morning the view reaches more than seventy peaks, from Saentis in the east to the Bernese Oberland in the west. By afternoon the cloud often closes over the lake, and the mountain becomes its own small weather.

— informed by MeteoSwiss, Wikipedia

— where

Switzerland · Lucerne / Obwalden / Nidwalden cantons

— elevation

2,128 m · 6,982 ft

— position

46.9789° N · 8.2531° 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 NE

Lake Lucerne

alpine lake

10 km NE

Lucerne

city

20 km NE

Mount Rigi

mountain

Mount Pilatus

Lake Lucerne

Lucerne

Mount Rigi

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Mount Pilatus — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The highest peak, Tomlishorn, reaches 2,128 metres. The Esel summit, the point most visitors stand on, is 2,119 metres. The cableway top station sits at 2,073 metres on the Pilatus Kulm shoulder.

Medieval folk tradition tied the mountain to Pontius Pilate, whose body was said to have been thrown into a small lake below the summit. The dragon legend, with which the cable car shares its name, is older still.

By the cog railway from Alpnachstad in summer, or by the Dragon Ride cableway from Kriens through the rest of the year. The standard loop, called the Golden Round Trip, combines both with a lake steamer from Lucerne.

The cog railway runs roughly mid-May through mid-November, depending on snow. The Dragon Ride cableway from Kriens stays open all year, with brief maintenance closures each spring and autumn.

Maximum gradient is 48 percent, the steepest passenger cog railway in the world. The line opened in 1889 and was electrified in 1937. It climbs from Alpnachstad at 440 metres to Pilatus Kulm at 2,073 metres.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers connected to central Switzerland. Pilatus is the household mountain of Lucerne. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The slate greys, alpine blues, and cloud-white tones read into alpine-modern, mountain-modern, and minimalist Scandinavian interiors. The piece holds a chalet wall or a city living room with equal weight.

A single Large reads well above a console. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural gives the wall room to breathe, and the high-altitude palette carries at scale without going flat.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to humidity, which makes them appropriate for backsplashes, showers, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and a little water. No solvents, no abrasive cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift or fade with cleaning.

— 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.