What is the largest sharp print size for Melencolia I?

At 300 dpi, this 4,918 × 6,257 px file prints up to 16.4 × 20.9 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 32.8 × 41.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Melencolia I?

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

Does printing Melencolia I require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 15% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Melencolia I — Albrecht Dürer | Free high-res download

Melencolia I

Albrecht Dürer · 1514 · Engraving after Dürer

Public domain · $0.004,918 × 6,257 px · 30.8 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to16.4 × 20.9 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 32.8 × 41.7 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
8 × 10 in	614	Gallery sharp	2%
11 × 14 in	446	Gallery sharp	nothing
12 × 16 in	391	Gallery sharp	5%
16 × 20 in	307	Gallery sharp	2%
18 × 24 in	260	Sharp up close	5%
24 × 36 in	173	Poster sharp	15%
30 × 40 in	156	Poster sharp	5%

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

Melencolia I is a print by Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg), dated 1514. Engraving. Held by Engraving after Dürer; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

Dürer's best-known engraving shows a thinker who has everything: compass, hourglass, ladder, polyhedron, a magic square in which every row adds up to 34. And she is completely stuck. The sleeping dog and the bat-winged banner that gives the picture its title add to the mood. It is a portrait of creative block, five hundred years early. Hang it above a desk as a warning or a comfort.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 4,918 × 6,257 pixels — 30.8 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 16.4 × 20.9 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.