Wender·Vista
Samsun
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTurkey
on the Black Sea coast of northern Turkey

Samsun

— — the shore the republic counts 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

“A port city on the Black Sea, halfway along the northern coast of Turkey, where the long curve of the Pontic mountains drops to the water. Mustafa Kemal stepped off the steamer Bandırma here on the 19th of May, 1919, and the country dates its War of Independence from that morning. The hill country behind the city is hazelnut country, and the wind off the sea is the steady fact of the place.

from the studio
Samsun
— bring it home

Samsun, 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 Samsun

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

Samsun is the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast, roughly halfway between the Bosphorus and the Georgian border. The metropolitan area held a population of about 1.36 million in 2022 and is the capital of Samsun Province. The Kızılırmak and Yeşilırmak rivers reach the sea on either side of the city, and the Pontic mountains rise inland to over 2,000 metres. The port handles grain, hazelnuts and container traffic, and is one of the busiest on the Black Sea.

— the year

The 19th of May, 1919, is the date the modern Turkish republic counts from. Mustafa Kemal, the future Atatürk, landed at the Samsun quay that morning aboard the steamer Bandırma and began organising the resistance that became the War of Independence. The day is observed nationally as the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. A replica of the Bandırma is moored in the harbour as a museum ship, and the Onur Anıtı statue on Cumhuriyet Square marks the place of the landing.

— the visit

Samsun has an international airport at Çarşamba about 23 kilometres east, with year-round flights to Istanbul and Ankara. The Black Sea coastal highway connects the city to Sinop in the west and Trabzon in the east. The hill country behind Samsun is Turkey's main hazelnut belt, and the autumn harvest season runs roughly August into September. Inland about 60 kilometres lies the Hittite-era site of Amisos and the Bafra delta of the Kızılırmak, a Ramsar wetland important for migratory birds.

— where
Turkey · Samsun, Black Sea Region
— elevation
4 m · 13 ft
— position
41.2867° N · 36.3300° 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.
130 km S
Amasya
historic town
170 km W
Sinop
port town
55 km W
Bafra
delta town
350 km E
Trabzon
port city
N
Samsun
Amasya
Sinop
Bafra
Trabzon
— common questions

What people ask.

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

On the Black Sea coast of northern Turkey, roughly halfway between Istanbul and the Georgian border. It is the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast and the capital of Samsun Province.

Mustafa Kemal, later Atatürk, landed at Samsun on the 19th of May, 1919, and began the resistance that became the War of Independence. The date is observed nationally as Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

The Samsun metropolitan area held a population of about 1.36 million in 2022, making it the largest city on the Turkish Black Sea coast and a major regional port.

The steamer that carried Atatürk from Istanbul to Samsun in May 1919. A replica is moored in the harbour as a museum ship at the Bandırma Vapuru Museum and is one of the city's main sites.

Hazelnuts, above all. The Black Sea hills behind Samsun are the heart of Turkey's hazelnut belt, which produces a large share of the world supply, with the harvest running August into September.

The wetland where the Kızılırmak River reaches the Black Sea west of Samsun, near Bafra. It is a Ramsar site and one of the most important migratory bird stops on the Turkish coast.

— about the piece in your home

Often yes. Samsun carries a strong civic and national memory, and the Black Sea coast has a deep diaspora. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries warmly.

The sea-and-stone palette suits Coastal-modern, Mediterranean, and Turkish-modern rooms. It also pairs well with kilim textiles and warm wood in a more layered, Jewel-tone Maximalist space.

It fits the heritage-modern direction that places one quiet, specific city portrait against a clean wall. The tile reads as a place portrait rather than a poster, which is the point of that style.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural carries the wall. Above a console, a Medium holds the eye. A nine-tile Mural reads from across a long room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or high-touch wall. Both are scratch-resistant and steam-tolerant. The Glossy finish is for framed wall art in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia, no bleach. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed and nothing is reproduced from another artist. The eye behind the atlas is Reid Wender's.

— 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.