The Course of Empire: Destruction
Thomas Cole, 1836
Empire falls in an afternoon. A city built, then the barbarians set on it. Fire. A bridge. A statue dragging its head. A warning New York bought.
About this work
Destruction is the fourth of five paintings in Thomas Cole's series The Course of Empire, painted between 1833 and 1836. The series follows an imaginary city in a river valley near the sea, identifiable in each picture by a boulder on a crag above the valley, through The Savage State, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, The Consummation of Empire, Destruction and Desolation. In Destruction the city is sacked: invaders pour across a bridge, buildings burn and a headless statue strides through the chaos. The architecture and costumes are Greco-Roman, and the arc of the series can be loosely compared to the history of Rome; at a time when classical styles dominated American public buildings, it could be read as a warning to the United States. Cole quoted Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage in his advertisements: "First freedom and then Glory – when that fails, Wealth, vice, corruption." The canvases are oil, 100 × 161 cm (39½ × 63½ in), and belong to the New-York Historical Society.
Sources: Wikipedia · New-York Historical Society
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 8,917 × 5,532 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 59 × 36 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 12 in) · $100 · 446 ppi
Medium (24 × 15 in) · $150 · 369 ppi
Large (36 × 22 in) · $300 · 248 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of The Course of Empire: Destruction?
Here. The Course of Empire: Destruction is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 12 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 15 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 22 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for The Course of Empire: Destruction?
The file is 8,917 × 5,532 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 22 in) prints at 248 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 22 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 12 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print The Course of Empire: Destruction?
Yes. The Course of Empire: Destruction 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.
