The Ninth Wave

Ivan Aivazovsky

The Ninth Wave (Ivan Aivazovsky) — The Ninth Wave · Ivan Aivazovsky · 1850.

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

Unframed at this size — framing is available on 16×24 and 24×36.

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900)
Year: 1850
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 221 × 332 cm
Collection: State Russian Museum, St Petersburg
Movement: Romanticism

A handful of survivors cling to the broken mast of a wrecked ship as a huge wave, lit from behind by the rising sun, gathers over them in a sea of green and gold. The title refers to the sailors' belief that waves come in cycles and the ninth is the largest and most dangerous. Aivazovsky painted the canvas in 1850, at thirty-three, already court painter to the Russian navy and the most famous marine artist in Europe; he worked from memory in the studio rather than from nature, and the warm light breaking through the storm is his characteristic promise of rescue. The painting was bought by Nicholas I and passed to the Russian Museum in St Petersburg when it was founded in 1897. It is the best known of his roughly six thousand pictures.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 18×12, 24×16 in • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is The Ninth Wave in the public domain?

Yes. Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by State Russian Museum.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Ninth Wave painted, and in what medium?

The Ninth Wave dates from 1850 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 221 × 332 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

The Ninth Wave (Ivan Aivazovsky) — The Ninth Wave · Ivan Aivazovsky · 1850. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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