The Abbey in the Oakwood

Caspar David Friedrich

1809–1810 · Oil on canvas · Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Abbey in the Oakwood

Chalk Cliffs on Rügen

Monk by the Sea

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

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840)
Year: 1809–1810
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 110.4 × 171 cm
Collection: Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Movement: Romanticism

A procession of monks carries a coffin through a snowy graveyard towards the ruined Gothic facade of an abbey, its single remaining window open to the sky, while leafless oaks claw upwards out of the mist. The sun has set; the evening star and a crescent moon hang over the ruin, and the lower part of the picture sinks into fog. Friedrich based the ruin on Eldena Abbey near his native Greifswald. He painted the picture in Dresden in 1809 and 1810 as the pendant to The Monk by the Sea and showed the pair at the Berlin Academy exhibition of 1810, where the Prussian king bought them at his son's urging. Friedrich wrote that he meant to depict the mystery of the grave and of the future. Both canvases hang together today in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Monks carrying a coffin through snow toward a ruined abbey under a crescent moon, a sombre winter picture for a study, hallway or den at 24×36 in black. Charcoal, deep green or grey; hang it beside Monk by the Sea as Friedrich showed them.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Romanticism painting
Era: 19th century (1809–1810)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

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

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 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 exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is The Abbey in the Oakwood 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 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; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Abbey in the Oakwood painted, and in what medium?

The Abbey in the Oakwood dates from 1809–1810 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 110.4 × 171 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

A museum-exhibition poster of Caspar David Friedrich's The Abbey in the Oakwood — The Abbey in the Oakwood — a funeral procession passing a ruined Gothic abbey among bare oaks in the winter dusk — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The German Romantic Landscape, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — 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 Exhibition Posters 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 ~4–8 business days.

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