Castel Sant'Angelo
C. W. Eckersberg, 1819
Hadrian's tomb turned papal fortress — the round bastion over the Tiber in crisp light.
About this work
Castel Sant'Angelo is an 1819 oil by the Danish painter C. W. Eckersberg, now in ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, which acquired it in 2017. The round bulk of the castle rises beyond the Tiber with the arches of the Ponte Sant'Angelo, seen from a terrace on the near bank where a few Romans talk and rest beside a fountain. The building began as the mausoleum of the emperor Hadrian. The popes later turned it into a fortress dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, linked it to St Peter's by a fortified corridor, and used it as a refuge and prison; it is now a museum, and it was once the tallest building in Rome. Eckersberg, born in 1783 in the Duchy of Schleswig, studied in Rome from 1813 to 1816, living among a large circle of artists around the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. He was deeply affected by the bright southern light and enjoyed painting smaller studies of the city and its people. Back in Copenhagen he laid the foundation for the Golden Age of Danish painting and is called the father of Danish painting. This canvas, 38 by 56 cm, is dated 1819, after his return, and is unsigned.
Sources: Wikimedia Commons: C.W. Eckersberg, Castel St Angelo, 1819, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum · Wikipedia: Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg · Wikipedia: Castel Sant'Angelo
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 3,730 × 2,439 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 24 × 16 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 13 in) · $100 · 186 ppi
Medium (24 × 16 in) · $150 · 152 ppi
Large (36 × 24 in) · $300 · 102 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Castel Sant'Angelo?
Here. Castel Sant'Angelo is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 13 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 16 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 24 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Castel Sant'Angelo?
The file is 3,730 × 2,439 px. Medium (24 × 16 in) is the largest size that prints at 150 ppi or more (152 ppi), the sharpest choice for close viewing; Large (36 × 24 in) prints at 102 ppi, fine from a few feet away but softer up close.
Is it legal to print Castel Sant'Angelo?
Yes. Castel Sant'Angelo is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
