19th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Gossip Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Gossip by Giovanni Boldini, 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 Pale Yellow on most walls, use Soft Green for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Red to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Giovanni Boldini
Date: 1873
Movement: 19th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 73

Gossip by Giovanni Boldini — Giovanni Boldini, *Gossip*, 1873. 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 Green

#97976D · 34.5% · LRV 30

Deep Green

#4C533E · 28.6% · LRV 8

Light Yellow

#DCCBA3 · 28% · LRV 61

Deep Red

#9C442C · 3.6% · LRV 11

Deep Yellow

#DEB353 · 3.3% · LRV 48

Pale Yellow

#F3DCA2 · 2% · LRV 73

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.

Gossip reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Green `#97976D`	Valspar 6003-4B Prairie Brush Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7726 Lemon Verbena Very close Behr 740D-5 Twig Basket Very close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Close	30	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Green `#4C533E`	Behr 780D-7 Wild Rice Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Very close Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Similar	8	Small accents, art, accessories
Light Yellow `#DCCBA3`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6407 Ancestral Gold Near-identical Behr 320E-3 Riviera Sand Very close Valspar 3006-8B Light Amber Very close Farrow & Ball No. 16 Cord Very close	61	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Red `#9C442C`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6342 Spicy Hue Very close Behr S-H-230 Ground Nutmeg Close Valspar 2011-5 Crimson Glow Similar Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	11	One bold piece
Deep Yellow `#DEB353`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6697 Nugget Very close Behr M290-5 English Custard Very close Valspar 3011-3 Butterscotch Lollipop Very close Farrow & Ball No. 223 Babouche Close	48	One small textile
Pale Yellow `#F3DCA2`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6681 Butter Up Near-identical Valspar 3008-6B Canary Diamond Very close Behr M300-3 Harmonious Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 68 Dorset Cream Very close	73	Main walls

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 pale 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#D4C9A7

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

South-facing room#F6DEA8

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)#CBAF7A

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Deep Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Soft Green

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

House Paint Color with a Green Roof: 4 Exterior Schemes Green metal roof

More palettes like this

Resting Antonio Mancini, c. 1887

A Mosque Alberto Pasini, 1886

FAQ

What colors are in Gossip?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Green (#97976D, 34.5% of the canvas), Deep Green (#4C533E, 28.6% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#DCCBA3, 28% of the canvas), Deep Red (#9C442C, 3.6% of the canvas), Deep Yellow (#DEB353, 3.3% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#F3DCA2, 2% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 73% of the light that hits it (LRV 73), so it keeps a small room bright. Keep the darkest colors to one piece of furniture or a textile.

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.