What is the largest sharp print size for The Nightmare?

At 300 dpi, this 2,000 × 1,602 px file prints up to 6.7 × 5.3 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 13.3 × 10.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

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

The best frame sizes for this file are 10 × 8 in, 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in, 20 × 16 in, printing at 150–299 dpi (poster- to sharp-quality).

Does printing The Nightmare 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.

The Nightmare — Henry Fuseli | Free high-res download

The Nightmare

Henry Fuseli · 1781 · Detroit Institute of Arts

Public domain · $0.002,000 × 1,602 px · 3.2 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to6.7 × 5.3 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 13.3 × 10.7 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	200	Sharp up close	nothing
14 × 11 in	142	Fine across a room	2%
16 × 12 in	125	Fine across a room	6%
20 × 16 in	100	Fine across a room	nothing
24 × 18 in	83	Too soft	6%
36 × 24 in	55	Too soft	17%
40 × 30 in	50	Too soft	6%

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 Nightmare is a painting by Henry Fuseli (Swiss-British, Zürich 1741–1825 London), dated 1781. Oil on canvas. Size on the museum record: 101.6 × 127 cm. Held by Detroit Institute of Arts; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

When it was shown at the Royal Academy in 1782 it caused a sensation, and prints of it sold well all over Europe. The woman lies thrown back with her arms hanging off the bed, and a gargoyle crouches on her stomach. A horse with blank eyes pushes through the curtains behind them (a pun, since a mare is also a nightmare). Fuseli painted several versions. It is a standard of Gothic horror, and a good cure for anyone convinced that old art is polite. Dark wood and dim light suit it.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 2,000 × 1,602 pixels — 3.2 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 6.7 × 5.3 in. The painting itself measures about 50 × 40 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: Henry Fuseli
Date: 1781
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 101.6 × 127 cm
Held by: Detroit Institute of Arts
License: Public domain · Public Domain Mark
Source: Commons file page ↗