Wender·Vista
Ephesus
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTurkey
near Selçuk, on Turkey's Aegean coast

Ephesus

— — a harbour city the sea walked away from.

— 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

“Ephesus was one of the great ports of the ancient Mediterranean. The harbour silted in over centuries and the Aegean withdrew about five kilometres west, leaving marble streets and a two-storey library facade standing on dry ground. The Great Theatre still holds twenty-five thousand seats cut into Mount Pion. Cats sleep on the column drums. In late afternoon the stone turns the colour of warm bread. from the studio

from the studio
Ephesus
— bring it home

Ephesus, 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 Ephesus

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

Ephesus lies near Selçuk in İzmir Province, on the western coast of Turkey, about three kilometres inland from the Aegean. The city was founded in the tenth century BCE by Ionian Greeks and flourished under Roman rule, becoming the capital of the province of Asia. At its peak the population reached perhaps 200,000. The harbour, once central to Mediterranean trade, silted as the Küçük Menderes River deposited sediment; the coastline retreated and the city was gradually abandoned. UNESCO inscribed Ephesus on the World Heritage List in 2015.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia
— the stone

The Library of Celsus, completed around 117 CE, faces the marble-paved Curetes Street with a two-storey facade carved with statues of Sophia, Episteme, Ennoia, and Arete. The Great Theatre, expanded under Claudius and Trajan, holds about 25,000 seats cut into the slope of Mount Pion. The Temple of Artemis once stood nearby, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, though only a single re-erected column remains. The Terrace Houses, sheltered now beneath a modern roof, preserve frescoes and mosaics where wealthy residents lived.

— the visit

The site sits a short drive from Selçuk and about an hour south of İzmir. Admission to the main archaeological park is separate from the Terrace Houses ticket, which is worth the addition. Summer afternoons bring strong sun and limited shade; early morning or the hour before closing reads more gently. The nearby Ephesus Museum in Selçuk holds many of the smaller statues and artefacts recovered from the excavations, including the multi-breasted Artemis figure.

— where
Turkey · Selçuk, İzmir Province
— within
Ephesus Archaeological Site
— elevation
30 m · 98 ft
— position
37.9411° N · 27.3419° 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.
3 km NE
Selçuk
town
3 km NE
Temple of Artemis
ancient temple site
7 km S
House of the Virgin Mary
Christian pilgrimage site
3 km NE
Basilica of St. John
Byzantine basilica ruins
12 km E
Şirince
hill village
20 km SW
Kuşadası
Aegean port
N
Ephesus
Selçuk
Temple of Artemis
House of the Virgin Mary
Basilica of St. John
Şirince
Kuşadası
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Ephesus sits near the modern town of Selçuk in İzmir Province, on Turkey's Aegean coast, about three kilometres inland. The site is roughly an hour's drive south of İzmir and reachable by train, car, or organised tour.

The Küçük Menderes River carried sediment into the harbour over many centuries, silting the inlet and pushing the coastline west. By late antiquity the port was unusable and the inhabitants gradually moved away. The sea is now about five kilometres distant.

A Roman library completed around 117 CE as a memorial to the senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus. Its two-storey marble facade was reconstructed by Austrian archaeologists in the 1970s and stands as the most photographed monument on the site.

At its Roman peak Ephesus may have held about 200,000 residents, making it one of the largest cities of the empire and the capital of the province of Asia. It served as a major commercial port and pilgrimage centre.

The temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was rebuilt several times before its final destruction in 401 CE. Only a single re-erected column now stands at the original site, near the centre of Selçuk.

Spring and autumn offer mild weather and softer light. Summer brings heat and crowds; the marble streets reflect the sun harshly between noon and four. Early morning or the last hour before closing reads gentlest on the eye.

— about the piece in your home

Often. Travellers who have walked the marble of Curetes Street tend to remember the Library facade in late light. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well to anyone who has stood there.

Warm earth tones and aged-stone surfaces. The piece reads well in rooms with travertine, limewashed walls, and brass — Mediterranean-modern, Italian-coastal, or rooms drawn from classical references. A single Large anchors above a stone or wood console.

Yes. The new wave of warm minimalism leans heavily on antiquity references — column motifs, plaster surfaces, warm marbles. A Mural of the Library facade reads as an architectural quotation rather than a souvenir, useful for designers working in this direction.

A single Large fits most sofas. For a longer wall or wide sectional, a four-tile Mural fills the field, and a nine-tile Mural turns the wall itself into a marble facade. Above a console, the Medium reads quietly.

Yes. The Dura Satin and Matte finishes resist steam, splatter, and scratching. Either works on a backsplash or a shower wall. Reserve the Glossy finish for dry interior walls and framed displays.

Microfibre cloth and water. Avoid abrasive pads, acidic cleaners, and solvents. The colour is held inside the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective layer, so no polish, sealant, or wax is needed.

Yes. Reid Wender curates every WenderVista piece and the studio finishes each tile in Knoxville, Tennessee. The work is not licensed from a stock source. Each piece carries the studio mark on the reverse.

— 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.