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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 in | 246 | Sharp up close | 37% |
| 14 × 11 in | 179 | Poster sharp | 36% |
| 16 × 12 in | 164 | Poster sharp | 33% |
| 20 × 16 in | 123 | Fine across a room | 37% |
| 24 × 18 in | 109 | Fine across a room | 33% |
| 36 × 24 in | 82 | Too soft | 24% |
| 40 × 30 in | 65 | Too soft | 33% |
The ticket
Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King is a woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861), dated 1853. Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper. Size on the museum record: A: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) B: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm) C: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Asian Art collection — Fletcher Fund, 1929.
The Met catalogs Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King as a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. The museum dates it 1853, and files it under accession JP1564 in Asian Art. 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 3,897 × 1,971 pixels, which prints about 13.0 × 6.6 in at 300 dpi and 26.0 × 13.1 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Its wide proportions sit naturally over a sofa, console or bed, and the crop figures in the set builder show what a standard frame would trim. Its muted earth tones are forgiving: natural wood softens the palette, walnut deepens it and black frames it like a gallery. Woodblock prints were made to be reproduced, so a faithful reprint fits the tradition. Keep the paper tone warm instead of bleaching it to white. Add a small picture light and keep the centre of the piece around 57 inches from the floor; those two choices make a reproduction look deliberate.
The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,897 × 1,971 pixels — 7.7 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 13 × 6.6 in. Woodblock prints were made to be printed again and again — a reproduction is in keeping with the whole point of the thing. Keep the paper tone warm. A printer that bleaches the ground to white-white flattens it into clip art.
On the receipt
- Artist
- Utagawa Kuniyoshi
- Date
- 1853
- Medium
- Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
- Size
- A: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) B: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm) C: H. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
- Museum
- The Met · Asian Art
- Accession
- JP1564
- License
- Public domain · CC0 1.0
- Source
- Museum record ↗
More Utagawa Kuniyoshi
All 17 →
Asakusa Imadoca. 1840Free · sharp to 12.9 × 9 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Boys Play-acting a Daimyo Procession19th centuryFree · sharp to 13.3 × 6.4 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Concise Illustrated Biography of Monk Nichiren: Calming the Stormy Sea at Tsunoda in Exile to Sado Island1835–36Free · sharp to 6.4 × 4.2 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Concise Illustrated Biography of Monk Nichiren: Prayer for Rain Answered at Ryōzengasaki in Kamakura1835–36Free · sharp to 6.4 × 4.5 in at 300 dpi, uncropped