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 | 326 | Gallery sharp | 10% |
| 11 × 14 in | 237 | Sharp up close | 9% |
| 12 × 16 in | 217 | Sharp up close | 4% |
| 16 × 20 in | 163 | Poster sharp | 10% |
| 18 × 24 in | 145 | Fine across a room | 4% |
| 24 × 36 in | 101 | Fine across a room | 7% |
| 30 × 40 in | 87 | Too soft | 4% |
The ticket
Frontispiece from "Prima Parte di Architetture, e Prospettive" is a print by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, Mogliano Veneto 1720–1778 Rome), dated ca. 1750. Etching. Size on the museum record: Sheet: 15 13/16 x 10 1/16 in. (40.2 x 25.5 cm) Plate: 14 3/16 x 13 5/16 in. (36 x 33.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937.
Frontispiece from "Prima Parte di Architetture, e Prospettive" is an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, part of The Met's open-access collection. The museum dates it ca. 1750 (accession 37.45.3(3), Drawings and Prints). Spend a minute with the composition before choosing a size: notice where the eye lands first and where it rests. The Met's scan measures 2,610 × 3,641 pixels, which prints about 8.7 × 12.1 in at 300 dpi and 17.4 × 24.3 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. Line work lives on contrast. Print it on smooth bright paper and give it a wider frame or mat so the fine marks are not swallowed. 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 2,610 × 3,641 pixels — 9.5 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 8.7 × 12.1 in. That is roughly life-size: the print itself measures about 10 × 15.8 in.Line work lives or dies on contrast. Print it on a smooth, bright paper and give it a wide mat: small graphic work drowns in a thin frame and a big empty border makes it look like it came out of a print room drawer.
On the receipt
- Artist
- Giovanni Battista Piranesi
- Date
- ca. 1750
- Medium
- Etching
- Size
- Sheet: 15 13/16 x 10 1/16 in. (40.2 x 25.5 cm) Plate: 14 3/16 x 13 5/16 in. (36 x 33.8 cm)
- Museum
- The Met · Drawings and Prints
- Accession
- 37.45.3(3)
- License
- Public domain · CC0 1.0
- Source
- Museum record ↗
More Giovanni Battista Piranesi
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The Round Tower, from "Carceri d'invenzione" (Imaginary Prisons)ca. 1749–50Free · sharp to 9.6 × 12.5 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
A sedan chair, a coach, a commode, a side table and two clocks (Deux ch. à porteurs v. de côté, une commode, une console, deux pedules, un meuble indét), from Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizi...(Different Ways of ornamenting chimneypieces and all other parts of houses)ca. 1769Free · sharp to 8.2 × 12.2 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Bird in shell at the center of the lintel, with a frieze of trophies, surmounted by an overmantel with candelabra and flanked by chairs. (Ch. décorée d'une frise de casques et d'armures . . .)1769 (?)Free · sharp to 12.2 × 7.9 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Coat of Arms of Clement XIII (Rezzonico)1758–69Free · sharp to 8.7 × 12.1 in at 300 dpi, uncropped