What is the largest sharp print size for Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John?

At 300 dpi, this 2,584 × 3,917 px file prints up to 8.6 × 13.1 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 17.2 × 26.1 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John?

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

Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Ma… — Caravaggio | Free high-res download

Q: Does printing Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 18% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John

Public domain · CC0 · $0.002,584 × 3,917 px · 10.1 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to8.6 × 13.1 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 17.2 × 26.1 in at 150 dpi

The download is the Met's own open-access file, served by the Met. 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.

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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
8 × 10 in	323	Gallery sharp	18%
11 × 14 in	234	Sharp up close	16%
12 × 16 in	215	Sharp up close	12%
16 × 20 in	161	Poster sharp	18%
18 × 24 in	143	Fine across a room	12%
24 × 36 in	107	Fine across a room	1%
30 × 40 in	86	Too soft	12%

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

Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John is a work on paper by Polidoro da Caravaggio (Italian, Caravaggio ca. 1499–ca. 1543 Messina), dated n.d.. Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk. Size on the museum record: 15 7/8 x 9 5/16 in. (40.3 x 23.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2003.

The Met catalogs Design for a Crucifix with the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary Magdalen, and Saint John as a pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of black chalk by Polidoro da Caravaggio. The museum dates it n.d., and files it under accession 2003.372 in Drawings and Prints. The subject is a person, so the face is the anchor. Hang it with the eyes near the centre line instead of floating high on the wall. The Met's scan measures 2,584 × 3,917 pixels, which prints about 8.6 × 13.1 in at 300 dpi and 17.2 × 26.1 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Because it runs tall, it wants a vertical frame; compare the crop percentage across sizes before you choose. Its muted earth tones are forgiving: natural wood softens the palette, walnut deepens it and black frames it like a gallery. Works on paper are quiet. Print near the original's scale instead of blowing it up, and keep it out of direct sun like the museum does. A warm picture light a few inches above the frame does more for a print than any paper upgrade, and the hanging centre line belongs near 57 inches.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 2,584 × 3,917 pixels — 10.1 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 8.6 × 13.1 in. That is roughly life-size: the work on paper itself measures about 9.3 × 15.9 in.Works on paper are quiet. Print near the original’s size rather than blowing it up, mat it generously, and keep it out of direct sun — the same rules the museum follows for the real one.