What is the largest sharp print size for The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist?

At 300 dpi, this 1,931 × 1,515 px file prints up to 6.4 × 5.1 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 12.9 × 10.1 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist?

The best frame sizes for this file are 10 × 8 in, 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in, printing at 150–299 dpi (poster- to sharp-quality).

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John… — Caravaggio | Free high-res download

Q: Does printing The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist 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.

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist

Polidoro da Caravaggio · 1520–25 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.001,931 × 1,515 px · 2.9 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to6.4 × 5.1 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 12.9 × 10.1 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

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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	189	Poster sharp	2%
14 × 11 in	137	Fine across a room	nothing
16 × 12 in	120	Fine across a room	4%
20 × 16 in	94	Too soft	2%
24 × 18 in	80	Too soft	4%
36 × 24 in	53	Too soft	15%
40 × 30 in	48	Too soft	4%

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 Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist is a work on paper by Polidoro da Caravaggio (Italian, Caravaggio ca. 1499–ca. 1543 Messina), dated 1520–25. Pen and brown ink, brush and brown and grayish brown wash over black chalk with white heightening, traces of squaring in pen and brown ink (especially evident at lower right and lower left). Size on the museum record: sheet: 6 15/16 x 9 in. (17.7 x 22.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Joseph F. McCrindle Collection, Bequest of Joseph F. McCrindle, 2008.

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant John the Baptist is a pen and brown ink, brush and brown and grayish brown wash over black chalk with white heightening, traces of squaring in pen and brown ink (especially evident at lower right and lower left) by Polidoro da Caravaggio, part of The Met's open-access collection. The museum dates it 1520–25 (accession 2009.31.1, Drawings and Prints). 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 1,931 × 1,515 pixels, which prints about 6.4 × 5.0 in at 300 dpi and 12.9 × 10.1 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 warm reds and oranges suit walnut or gold, which deepen the glow instead of washing it out. Works on paper are quiet. Print near the original's scale instead of blowing it up, and keep it out of direct sun like the museum does. A warm picture light a few inches above the frame does more for a print than any paper upgrade, and the hanging centre line belongs near 57 inches.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 1,931 × 1,515 pixels — 2.9 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 6.4 × 5.1 in. The work on paper itself measures about 9 × 7 in, so a true life-size print runs below 300 dpi — still sharp at normal viewing distance.Works on paper are quiet. Print near the original’s size rather than blowing it up, mat it generously, and keep it out of direct sun — the same rules the museum follows for the real one.

On the receipt

Artist: Polidoro da Caravaggio
Date: 1520–25
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown and grayish brown wash over black chalk with white heightening, traces of squaring in pen and brown ink (especially evident at lower right and lower left).
Size: sheet: 6 15/16 x 9 in. (17.7 x 22.8 cm)
Museum: The Met · Drawings and Prints
Accession: 2009.31.1
License: Public domain · CC0 1.0
Source: Museum record ↗