What is the largest sharp print size for An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump?

At 300 dpi, this 5,639 × 4,226 px file prints up to 18.8 × 14.1 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 37.6 × 28.2 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 10 × 8 in, 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 20 × 16 in, 24 × 18 in, 36 × 24 in.

Does printing An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 11% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump — Joseph Wright of Derby | Free high-res download

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Joseph Wright of Derby · 1768 · The National Gallery, London

Public domain · $0.005,639 × 4,226 px · 23.8 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to18.8 × 14.1 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 37.6 × 28.2 in at 150 dpi

The download is the original scan on Wikimedia Commons. Big file — give it a minute.

Build the wall set

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.

Amazon sells the physical items, sets their prices and availability, and may pay us a commission. The free museum file is separate. How we get paid →

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.

Frame	Effective dpi	Verdict	Crops
10 × 8 in	528	Gallery sharp	6%
14 × 11 in	384	Gallery sharp	5%
16 × 12 in	352	Gallery sharp	nothing
20 × 16 in	264	Sharp up close	6%
24 × 18 in	234	Sharp up close	nothing
36 × 24 in	156	Poster sharp	11%
40 × 30 in	140	Fine across a room	nothing

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

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby (British, Derby 1734–1797 Derby), dated 1768. Oil on canvas. Size on the museum record: 183 × 244 cm. Held by The National Gallery, London; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

A travelling lecturer has pumped the air out of a glass flask, and a white cockatoo is dying inside. He looks out at us as if asking what we think. A girl hides her eyes, a pair of lovers ignore the whole thing, and an older man watches with scientific detachment. A hidden candle lights the faces. The painting asks whether science is worth the cost, and has not been answered in two hundred and fifty years.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 5,639 × 4,226 pixels — 23.8 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 18.8 × 14.1 in. The painting itself measures about 96.1 × 72 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: Joseph Wright of Derby
Date: 1768
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 183 × 244 cm
Held by: The National Gallery, London
License: Public domain · Public Domain Mark
Source: Commons file page ↗