Dido Building Carthage

J. M. W. Turner

1815 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery, London

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Dido Building Carthage

Approach to Venice

The Fighting Temeraire

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: J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851)
Year: 1815
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 155.5 × 232 cm
Collection: National Gallery, London
Movement: Romanticism

Queen Dido, in blue and white at the left, directs the building of her new city while the sun rises over a classical harbour framed by palaces and masts. Across the water stands the tomb of her murdered husband Sychaeus; the cloaked, helmeted figure before her is probably Aeneas. Turner painted it in 1815 as his answer to Claude Lorrain's seaport scenes, and in particular to Claude's Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba, which had moved him to tears when he first saw it in 1799. He exhibited it at the Royal Academy that year, refused to sell it, and in his will insisted it hang in the National Gallery beside the Claude, where it remains. It is one of ten major canvases he devoted to the rise and fall of Carthage, a theme that preoccupied him for decades.

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

Where it works

A sunrise over a classical harbour of palaces and masts, for a living room, dining room or hallway at 24×36 in black. A warm grey, cream or deep blue wall; hang it beside Claude's Queen of Sheba as Turner intended.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Romanticism painting
Era: 19th century (1815)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: grand
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 Dido Building Carthage (The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire) in the public domain?

Yes. J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) 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 National Gallery.

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 Dido Building Carthage (The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire) painted, and in what medium?

Dido Building Carthage (The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire) dates from 1815 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 155.5 × 232 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 J. M. W. Turner's Dido Building Carthage — Dido Building Carthage — the rising city of Carthage bathed in a golden Claudian sunrise over the harbour — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Light, Storm and Sea: The English Romantic, 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.

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

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