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 | 343 | Gallery sharp | 3% |
| 14 × 11 in | 249 | Sharp up close | 1% |
| 16 × 12 in | 221 | Sharp up close | 3% |
| 20 × 16 in | 171 | Poster sharp | 3% |
| 24 × 18 in | 147 | Fine across a room | 3% |
| 36 × 24 in | 98 | Too soft | 14% |
| 40 × 30 in | 88 | Too soft | 3% |
The ticket
Two Men Holding Long Staffs (recto); Proof impression of part of an etching, and scribbles in the artist's hand (verso) is a work on paper by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, Mogliano Veneto 1720–1778 Rome), dated 1720–78. Pen and brown ink. Size on the museum record: 6 9/16 x 8 3/8in. (16.6 x 21.3cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971.
The Met catalogs Two Men Holding Long Staffs (recto); Proof impression of part of an etching, and scribbles in the artist's hand (verso) as a pen and brown ink by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The museum dates it 1720–78 (accession 1972.118.269, Drawings and Prints). People are the subject, and the grouping and gestures matter more than any single face; avoid cropping the edges. The Met's scan measures 3,539 × 2,744 pixels, which prints about 11.8 × 9.1 in at 300 dpi and 23.6 × 18.3 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Because it runs wide, it wants a horizontal frame; check the crop percentage for each size before you commit. It is close to monochrome, so the frame sets the mood: black for contrast, white for air, or a thin natural wood for warmth. 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. 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 3,539 × 2,744 pixels — 9.7 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 11.8 × 9.1 in. That is bigger than the work on paper itself, which measures about 8.4 × 6.5 in — the file holds more detail than you can see standing in front of the original.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
- Giovanni Battista Piranesi
- Date
- 1720–78
- Medium
- Pen and brown ink
- Size
- 6 9/16 x 8 3/8in. (16.6 x 21.3cm)
- Museum
- The Met · Drawings and Prints
- Accession
- 1972.118.269
- License
- Public domain · CC0 1.0
- Source
- Museum record ↗
More Giovanni Battista Piranesi
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The Round Tower, from "Carceri d'invenzione" (Imaginary Prisons)ca. 1749–50Free · sharp to 9.6 × 12.5 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
A sedan chair, a coach, a commode, a side table and two clocks (Deux ch. à porteurs v. de côté, une commode, une console, deux pedules, un meuble indét), from Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizi...(Different Ways of ornamenting chimneypieces and all other parts of houses)ca. 1769Free · sharp to 8.2 × 12.2 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Bird in shell at the center of the lintel, with a frieze of trophies, surmounted by an overmantel with candelabra and flanked by chairs. (Ch. décorée d'une frise de casques et d'armures . . .)1769 (?)Free · sharp to 12.2 × 7.9 in at 300 dpi, uncropped
Coat of Arms of Clement XIII (Rezzonico)1758–69Free · sharp to 8.7 × 12.1 in at 300 dpi, uncropped