The Course of Empire: Desolation

Thomas Cole

1836 · Oil on canvas · New-York Historical Society

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$79Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Course of Empire: Desolation

The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire

The Course of Empire: Destruction

3 × $79 at 36 × 24 in, unframed = $237 → $213.30 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: Thomas Cole (1801–1848)
Year: 1836
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 99.7 × 160.7 cm
Collection: New-York Historical Society
Movement: Hudson River School
Series: The Course of Empire

The last canvas of The Course of Empire. The city is gone. A single column stands at the edge of the water, ruined arches and a broken bridge crumble under ivy, and the moon rises over a still bay at dusk, with no human figure anywhere. The boulder on its crag, unchanged since The Savage State, looks down on the empty valley. Cole painted it in 1836 for Luman Reed to close a cycle that had traced an imaginary state from wilderness through pastoral balance, imperial splendour and violent collapse. Nature, which was there before the first hunter, reclaims the site; some critics have read the constant rock as the permanence of the earth set against the transience of human works. The five canvases hang together at the New-York Historical Society, their home since 1858.

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 single column, ivy-covered ruins and a moon rising over a still bay, with no human figure, for a study, bedroom or landing at 24×16 or 36×24 in black. Dusty blue, warm grey or sage; it closes the sequence or works alone.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1836)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: grand
Rooms: bedroom, hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

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

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, 36×24 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 The Course of Empire: Desolation in the public domain?

Yes. Thomas Cole (1801–1848) 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 New-York Historical Society.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 18×12, 24×16 and 36×24 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 The Course of Empire: Desolation painted, and in what medium?

The Course of Empire: Desolation dates from 1836 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 99.7 × 160.7 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 36×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 24×16 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For The Course of Empire: Desolation we'd choose 24×16. It is a landscape print, wider than it is tall, at the painting's own proportions.

About this design

The Course of Empire: Desolation (Thomas Cole) — The Course of Empire: Desolation · Thomas Cole · 1836. 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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