The Sea of Ice (Full)

The Sea of Ice (Caspar David Friedrich) — the painting printed edge-to-edge at its own proportions. The Sea of Ice · Caspar David Friedrich · 1824.

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: Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840)
Year: 1823–1824
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 96.7 × 126.9 cm
Collection: Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg
Movement: Romanticism

Great slabs of ice have been forced upward into a jagged pyramid in an arctic sea, and only on close inspection does the stern of a crushed ship appear among the floes at the right. Friedrich painted it in Dresden between 1823 and 1824, drawing on reports of William Parry's expedition in search of the Northwest Passage and on his own studies of ice breaking up on the Elbe. It was exhibited as An Idealised Scene of an Arctic Sea, and no one bought it in his lifetime; it was long known as The Wreck of the Hope after a lost painting with that title. The flat, hard light and the absence of any human figure make it one of the bleakest images of Romanticism. It has been in the Hamburger Kunsthalle since 1905.

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 plate — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 16×12, 24×18 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 Sea of Ice in the public domain?

Yes. Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) 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 Hamburger Kunsthalle.

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 Sea of Ice painted, and in what medium?

The Sea of Ice dates from 1823–1824 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 96.7 × 126.9 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 Sea of Ice (Caspar David Friedrich) — the painting printed edge-to-edge at its own proportions. The Sea of Ice · Caspar David Friedrich · 1824. 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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