15th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of a Woman Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Woman by Piero del Pollaiuolo (Piero di Jacopo Benci), with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Light Yellow on most walls, use Soft Blue for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Red to one bold piece. Warm Yellow suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Piero del Pollaiuolo (Piero di Jacopo Benci)
Date: ca. 1480
Movement: 15th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 52

Portrait of a Woman by Piero del Pollaiuolo (Piero di Jacopo Benci) — Piero del Pollaiuolo (Piero di Jacopo Benci), *Portrait of a Woman*, ca. 1480. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Soft Blue

#798F9B · 34.9% · LRV 26

Light Yellow

#E0B897 · 22.1% · LRV 52

Warm Yellow

#A58161 · 17.5% · LRV 25

Deep Red

#88453B · 16.8% · LRV 10

Warm Red

#B47B76 · 6.6% · LRV 25

Soft Red

#A8634F · 2% · LRV 18

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

Portrait of a Woman reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Soft Blue is strongest — Soft Blue

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light Yellow

Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest — Warm Yellow

Detail of the painting where Deep Red is strongest — Deep Red

Detail of the painting where Warm Red is strongest — Warm Red

Detail of the painting where Soft Red is strongest — Soft Red

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Soft Blue `#798F9B`	Valspar 4008-4A Pulitzer Blue Very close Behr 760F-5 Milestone Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6242 Bracing Blue Very close Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue Close	26	Bed, sofa, curtains
Light Yellow `#E0B897`	Behr S250-3 Honey Nougat Near-identical Valspar 2005-6A Antelope Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6359 Sociable Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Similar	52	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#A58161`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9105 Almond Roca Near-identical Valspar 3003-7B Leather Satchel Very close Behr MQ2-11 Outdoor Land Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	25	Wood and frames
Deep Red `#88453B`	Behr QE-14 Spiced Red Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6334 Flower Pot Very close Valspar 2002-5A Decadent Red Close Farrow & Ball No. 43 Eating Room Red Similar	10	One bold piece
Warm Red `#B47B76`	Behr S180-5 Auburn Glaze Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 61 Salon Rose Close Valspar 1008-7C New Haven Rose Close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	25	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Red `#A8634F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 40 Roycroft Adobe Very close Valspar 3010-6 Cinnamon Cake Close Behr BIC-45 Airbrushed Copper Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Close	18	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How light yellow looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#C8B2A1

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#E7C2A0

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C09B74

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Warm Yellow and the rug border takes Soft Red in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Light Yellow

Soft Blue

Deep Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Maroon Color Combination for a Room Burgundy

Hygge Color Scheme: Six Calm Colors from Paintings Scandinavian style

Classic House Color Combinations: Four Exterior Schemes House exterior · Traditional

More palettes like this

Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries Bicci di Lorenzo, 1433–35

Portrait of a Young Man Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura), 1470s

Portrait of a Man Fra Bartolomeo (Bartolomeo di Paolo del Fattorino), shortly after 1497

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Woman?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Blue (#798F9B, 34.9% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#E0B897, 22.1% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A58161, 17.5% of the canvas), Deep Red (#88453B, 16.8% of the canvas), Warm Red (#B47B76, 6.6% of the canvas), Soft Red (#A8634F, 2% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 52, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.