What is the largest sharp print size for The Chess Players?

At 300 dpi, this 4,000 × 2,970 px file prints up to 13.3 × 9.9 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 26.7 × 19.8 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of The Chess Players?

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

Does printing The Chess Players require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 10% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

The Chess Players — Thomas Eakins | Free high-res download

The Chess Players

Thomas Eakins · 1876 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.004,000 × 2,970 px · 11.9 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to13.3 × 9.9 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 26.7 × 19.8 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.

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	371	Gallery sharp	7%
14 × 11 in	270	Sharp up close	6%
16 × 12 in	247	Sharp up close	1%
20 × 16 in	185	Poster sharp	7%
24 × 18 in	165	Poster sharp	1%
36 × 24 in	111	Fine across a room	10%
40 × 30 in	99	Too soft	1%

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

The Chess Players is a painting by Thomas Eakins (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1844–1916 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), dated 1876. Oil on wood. Size on the museum record: 11 3/4 x 16 3/4 in. (29.8 x 42.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its The American Wing collection — Gift of the artist, 1881.

In The Met's records, The Chess Players is an oil on wood credited to Thomas Eakins. The museum dates it 1876; it sits in the The American Wing department as accession 81.14. People are the subject, and the grouping and gestures matter more than any single face; avoid cropping the edges. The Met's scan measures 4,000 × 2,970 pixels, which prints about 13.3 × 9.9 in at 300 dpi and 26.7 × 19.8 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. Paintings reproduce best on matte paper, since gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for. 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 4,000 × 2,970 pixels — 11.9 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 13.3 × 9.9 in. The painting itself measures about 16.8 × 11.7 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.