Cotopaxi

Frederic Edwin Church

1862 · Oil on canvas · Detroit Institute of Arts

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi (1855)

Aurora Borealis (Art Church)

3 × $59 at 24 × 16 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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Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)
Year: 1862
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 121.9 × 215.9 cm
Collection: Detroit Institute of Arts
Movement: Hudson River School

The volcano Cotopaxi erupts at the far left, pouring a vast plume of ash across a sky lit blood-orange by the rising sun, while a waterfall thunders into a gorge below and a lake lies still at the centre. Church had seen Cotopaxi on his South American journeys of 1853 and 1857, but this canvas, commissioned in 1862 by the New York collector James Lenox and first shown in 1863, combines details from several places into a statement about the forces that shape the earth: ash falling into water to become sediment, cliffs raised and worn away again. Painted during the Civil War, it was read by contemporaries as a parable of light against darkness. It is the culminating work of a series of at least ten Cotopaxi pictures Church painted. The Detroit Institute of Arts bought it in 1976.

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

An erupting volcano under a blood-orange sky with a waterfall and a still lake, a dramatic wide picture for a living room, study or den at 24×16 in black. A charcoal, deep blue or ochre wall; it glows under low evening light.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1862)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: calm
Rooms: living room, study or library, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.

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: 18×12, 24×16 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 Cotopaxi in the public domain?

Yes. Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900) 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 Detroit Institute of Arts.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 18×12 and 24×16 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 Cotopaxi painted, and in what medium?

Cotopaxi dates from 1862 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 121.9 × 215.9 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×16 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 18×12 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Cotopaxi we'd choose 24×16. It is a landscape print, wider than it is tall, at the painting's own proportions.

About this design

Cotopaxi (Frederic Edwin Church) — Cotopaxi · Frederic Edwin Church · 1862. 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.

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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 4–9 business days.

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