Ludwig van Beethoven
Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820
Beethoven with the Missa solemnis manuscript — Stieler's heroic portrait of the deaf titan.
About this work
Joseph Karl Stieler's portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven, completed in April 1820, is the image most people picture when they think of the composer. Beethoven wears a deep blue frock coat with a large white collar and a red scarf; his grey hair is wild, and he holds the manuscript of his Missa solemnis as if writing, with a grape arbour behind him. The portrait was commissioned by Franz and Antonie Brentano, whom Beethoven called his "best friends in the world". Stieler, a noted portraitist, was in Vienna to paint Emperor Franz when he met Beethoven. The composer treated sitting for a portrait as a form of "penance" and allowed only three or four sittings, so Stieler had to finish the body and background without him; later versions leave out the arms. Beethoven's secretary Anton Schindler thought it caught his "characteristic expression", though not his usual posture. The painting, oil on canvas, 72 × 58.5 cm, belongs to the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. Josef Kriehuber and Andy Warhol were among the artists who later made their own versions of it.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikimedia Commons
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 4,330 × 5,389 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 28 × 35 in
- Sizes
- Small (16 × 20 in) · $100 · 269 ppi
Medium (19 × 24 in) · $150 · 225 ppi
Large (29 × 36 in) · $300 · 149 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Ludwig van Beethoven?
Here. Ludwig van Beethoven is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (16 × 20 in) for $100, Medium (19 × 24 in) for $150 and Large (29 × 36 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Ludwig van Beethoven?
The file is 4,330 × 5,389 px. Medium (19 × 24 in) is the largest size that prints at 150 ppi or more (225 ppi), the sharpest choice for close viewing; Large (29 × 36 in) prints at 149 ppi, fine from a few feet away but softer up close.
Is it legal to print Ludwig van Beethoven?
Yes. Ludwig van Beethoven 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.
