Wender·Vista
Library of Celsus
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTurkey
in the ruins of Ephesus, on the Aegean coast of Turkey

Library of Celsus

— — a façade built to outlive every book it held.

— 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 Library of Celsus stands at the foot of the Curetes Way in Ephesus, a two-storey marble façade rebuilt from its own fallen pieces between 1970 and 1978. The Roman consul Tiberius Julius Aquila finished it around 117 CE as a tomb and library for his father, Celsus, whose sarcophagus is still under the western wall. Four statues, copies now, stand between the columns — Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Virtue. The marble holds the afternoon light the way the scrolls once held the words.

from the studio
Library of Celsus
— bring it home

Library of Celsus, 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 Library of Celsus

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 Library of Celsus sits within the ancient city of Ephesus, near present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province on the Aegean coast of Turkey, about 80 kilometres south of İzmir. Construction began around 110 CE under the Roman consul Tiberius Julius Aquila, who commissioned the building as a heroon — a combined tomb and monument — for his father, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a former governor of the province of Asia. The library is one of three components of the Ephesus archaeological site inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2015.

— the stone

The façade rises about 16 metres in two tiers of paired columns, a deliberately distorted Corinthian composition that uses entasis and outward-curving stylobates to read as larger than it is. Niches between the columns held four statues representing Sophia, Episteme, Ennoia, and Arete — Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Virtue. The originals were taken to Vienna in the late 19th century and now stand in the Ephesos Museum; the copies on site were carved during the Austrian Archaeological Institute's anastylosis of 1970 to 1978, led by Friedmund Hueber and Volker Strocka.

— the visit

Ephesus is open daily, with tickets sold at the Magnesian (upper) and Koressos (lower) gates. The Library of Celsus sits about two-thirds of the way down the slope, at the junction of the Curetes Way and the Marble Street, beside the gate of Mazeus and Mithridates leading into the Tetragonos Agora. Afternoon light catches the façade west-to-east; the early morning before tour coaches arrive, and the last hour before close, are the quietest windows. The site is administered by Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

— where
Turkey · Selçuk, İzmir Province
— position
37.9395° N · 27.3417° 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
5 km NE
Temple of Artemis
ancient wonder
20 km SW
Kuşadası
Aegean port
N
Library of Celsus
Selçuk
Temple of Artemis
Kuşadası
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Library of Celsus — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Within the ancient city of Ephesus, near Selçuk in İzmir Province on the Aegean coast of Turkey, about 80 kilometres south of İzmir. It stands at the foot of the Curetes Way.

The Roman consul Tiberius Julius Aquila commissioned it around 110 CE as a tomb and library for his father, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a former Roman governor of the province of Asia. Construction finished around 117 CE.

Estimates based on the wall niches put its capacity at roughly 12,000 scrolls. Double walls behind the niches protected the collection from temperature swings and damp, an unusually careful design for a Roman public library.

Sophia, Episteme, Ennoia, and Arete — Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Virtue. The originals are in the Ephesos Museum in Vienna; the copies on site were carved during the 1970 to 1978 reconstruction.

The marble is original but was assembled from fallen pieces in an anastylosis project led by the Austrian Archaeological Institute between 1970 and 1978. Missing elements were recarved to complete the load path.

Early morning before the coach tours arrive, or the last hour before close. The west-facing façade catches the strongest light in the late afternoon. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.

— about the piece in your home

The piece carries well for classicists, archaeologists, and family with ties to the Aegean. A Small or Medium suits a study or reading room; a Coaster Set works as a smaller introduction.

Yes. The Library of Celsus has been an emblem of the scholarly life for a century. A Medium above a desk, or a Large above a reading chair, both land for that recipient.

Library-style traditional, Mediterranean modern, and warm neoclassical rooms. The honey-marble and amber palette sits well against dark wood, leather, and limewash; less so against cool industrial schemes.

A single Large reads cleanly above a console or two-seat sofa. For a longer wall, a four-tile Mural extends the façade horizontally; a nine-tile Mural is the format for a study feature wall.

Yes, in our Dura Satin or Matte finish, which is scratch resistant and rated for vertical wet installations. Glossy is the choice for framed wall art away from steam and splash.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and ammonia-based sprays. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift under normal household cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn in the studio by Reid Wender and produced in-house. We do not licence the images or sell them through third-party print services.

— if this one stayed with you

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