Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle

Arnold Böcklin

1872 · Oil on canvas · Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle

Self-Portrait (1889)

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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

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About this work

Artist: Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901)
Year: 1872
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 75 × 61 cm
Collection: Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
Movement: Symbolism

Böcklin, palette and brush in hand, pauses and turns his head to listen as a grinning skeleton behind his shoulder plays a single-stringed fiddle into his ear. He painted it in Munich in 1872, at forty-five, and the skeleton was added after the self-portrait was finished, so that the picture turns from a conventional artist's likeness into a memento mori and a statement about where his art came from. The violin's one string is the note the painter listens for. Shown in Berlin in 1872 and acquired for the National Gallery there in 1898, it hangs in the Alte Nationalgalerie and is the picture by which the Swiss Symbolist, author of the Isle of the Dead, is best known in Germany.

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

Where it works

A bearded painter turning to listen to a skeleton fiddling at his ear, in black, bone and warm brown, for a study, studio or hallway at 24×36 in black. Charcoal, deep green or stone walls suit the gloom; pair it with Isle of the Dead.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Symbolism painting
Era: 19th century (1872)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: intimate
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

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: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. 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 Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle in the public domain?

Yes. Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901) 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 Alte Nationalgalerie.

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; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle painted, and in what medium?

Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle dates from 1872 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 75 × 61 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (Arnold Böcklin) — Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle · Arnold Böcklin · 1872. 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. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

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 4–9 business days.

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