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A Brook in the Forest

Gustave Courbet · ca. 1868–77 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.003,911 × 3,216 px · 12.6 MP
Prints gallery-sharp up to13 × 10.7 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 26.1 × 21.4 in at 150 dpi

The download is the Met's own open-access file, served by the Met. Big file — give it a minute.

Free · $0.00A Brook in the Forest by Gustave Courbet, ca. 1868–77
The set builder

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Art, frame, light and hanging gear, picked together. Choose a size and finish; the wall preview shows exactly what you're getting. One button sends the whole kit to your Amazon cart.

A Brook in the Forest in a frame
16 × 20 in
A Brook in the ForestGustave Courbet · ca. 1868–77
See it over your couch →
1 · Size

2 · Frame

3 · Light

4 · Hang it right

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The size chart

How big can you print it?

Standard frame sizes, turned to match the artwork. "Crops" is how much of the picture you lose filling that frame edge to edge — or keep it all and let a mat take up the difference.

FrameEffective dpiVerdictCrops
10 × 8 in391Gallery sharp3%
14 × 11 in279Sharp up close4%
16 × 12 in244Sharp up close9%
20 × 16 in195Poster sharp3%
24 × 18 in162Poster sharp9%
36 × 24 in108Fine across a room19%
40 × 30 in97Too soft9%
Will it fit over your couch? Put this one on your wall, to scale — crop or mat, frame size, hang height and the order.

The ticket

A Brook in the Forest is a painting by Gustave Courbet (French, Ornans 1819–1877 La Tour-de-Peilz), dated ca. 1868–77. Oil on canvas. Size on the museum record: 19 7/8 x 24 1/8 in. (50.5 x 61.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its European Paintings collection — Gift of Ralph Weiler, 1967.

In The Met's records, A Brook in the Forest is an oil on canvas credited to Gustave Courbet. The museum dates it ca. 1868–77, and files it under accession 67.212 in European Paintings. The subject is a view, and the eye travels from the foreground to the distance; give it wall space so that route stays readable. The Met's scan measures 3,911 × 3,216 pixels, which prints about 13.0 × 10.7 in at 300 dpi and 26.1 × 21.4 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Its wide proportions sit naturally over a sofa, console or bed, and the crop figures in the set builder show what a standard frame would trim. Its muted earth tones are forgiving: natural wood softens the palette, walnut deepens it and black frames it like a gallery. Paintings reproduce best on matte paper, since gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for. Light it from above with a soft warm bulb, hang the centre of the picture near 57 inches, and it will read as intended instead of as decoration.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,911 × 3,216 pixels — 12.6 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 13 × 10.7 in. The painting itself measures about 24.1 × 19.9 in, so a true life-size print runs below 300 dpi — still sharp at normal viewing distance.Paintings reproduce best on matte paper. Gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for, and a picture light does more for a print than any upgrade in paper.

On the receipt

Artist
Gustave Courbet
Date
ca. 1868–77
Medium
Oil on canvas
Size
19 7/8 x 24 1/8 in. (50.5 x 61.3 cm)
Museum
The Met · European Paintings
Accession
67.212
License
Public domain · CC0 1.0
Source
Museum record ↗
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