What is the largest sharp print size for Isle of the Dead?

At 300 dpi, this 8,256 × 5,504 px file prints up to 27.5 × 18.3 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 55 × 36.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Isle of the Dead?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 10 × 8 in, 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in, 20 × 16 in, 24 × 18 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 36 × 24 in, 40 × 30 in.

Does printing Isle of the Dead require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 17% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Isle of the Dead — Arnold Böcklin | Free high-res download

Isle of the Dead

Arnold Böcklin · 1883 · Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

Public domain · $0.008,256 × 5,504 px · 45.4 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to27.5 × 18.3 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 55 × 36.7 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	688	Gallery sharp	17%
14 × 11 in	500	Gallery sharp	15%
16 × 12 in	458	Gallery sharp	11%
20 × 16 in	344	Gallery sharp	17%
24 × 18 in	305	Gallery sharp	11%
36 × 24 in	229	Sharp up close	nothing
40 × 30 in	183	Poster sharp	11%

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

Isle of the Dead is a painting by Arnold Böcklin (Swiss, Basel 1827–1901 Fiesole), dated 1883. Oil on panel. Size on the museum record: 80 × 150 cm. Held by Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

Böcklin painted five versions between 1880 and 1886. Reproductions of the painting hung in thousands of parlours, and the picture inspired Rachmaninoff's tone poem of the same name. A rower is bringing a coffin toward a small island of tombs and cypress trees, and the water is perfectly still. The mood is restful rather than horrifying, which is what made it so popular. Hang it in a quiet room with a good picture light.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 8,256 × 5,504 pixels — 45.4 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 27.5 × 18.3 in. The painting itself measures about 59.1 × 31.5 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: Arnold Böcklin
Date: 1883
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 80 × 150 cm
Held by: Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
License: Public domain · Public Domain Mark
Source: Commons file page ↗