Cotopaxi (1855)

Frederic Edwin Church

1855 · Oil on canvas · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Cotopaxi (1855) (Full)

Aurora Borealis (Art Church Full)

El Rio de Luz (The River of Light) (Full)

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

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)
Year: 1855
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 71.1 × 107 cm
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Movement: Hudson River School

Cotopaxi, the great snow-covered volcano of Ecuador, rises serene above a green highland valley with a hacienda in the middle distance. This is one of Church's earliest treatments of a subject he would return to for a decade, painted in 1855 after his first journey to South America in 1853, which he made with his patron Cyrus Field using Alexander von Humboldt's Views of the Cordilleras as a guidebook. The composition follows Humboldt's own engraving of the mountain, and the hacienda is one where Humboldt had stayed in 1802. Church waited a full day near it for the clouds to clear. American critics complained that the icy flanks were too sharp and lacked atmospheric haze, not understanding how clear the thin Andean air is. The painting, made as a keepsake of the trip for Field, is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

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 serene snow-covered volcano above a green highland valley with a hacienda, calmer than the 1862 eruption, for a bedroom, study or hallway at 24×16 in black or natural oak. A sage, cream or pale blue wall; hang the two Cotopaxis together.

Style: Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1855)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: calm
Rooms: living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. 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. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural oak frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing.

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 plate — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 18×12, 24×16 in; 18×12 and 24×16 also available framed in black or natural wood • 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 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 Smithsonian American Art 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 Cotopaxi painted, and in what medium?

Cotopaxi dates from 1855 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 71.1 × 107 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

Cotopaxi (1855) (Frederic Edwin Church) — the painting printed edge-to-edge at its own proportions. Cotopaxi (1855) · Frederic Edwin Church · 1855. 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.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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