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

The Dispatch-Bearer Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Dispatch-Bearer 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 Light Linen on most walls, use Muted Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Giovanni Boldini
Date: ?1879
Movement: 19th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 49

The Dispatch-Bearer by Giovanni Boldini — Giovanni Boldini, *The Dispatch-Bearer*, ?1879. 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.

Deep Umber

#563F32 · 30.5% · LRV 6

Ink Umber

#31231D · 23.1% · LRV 2

Muted Linen

#958E84 · 21.6% · LRV 27

Light Linen

#C2B8A6 · 20% · LRV 49

Warm Yellow

#BF926B · 3.6% · LRV 33

Warm Red

#BB644F · 1.2% · LRV 20

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.

The Dispatch-Bearer reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

Detail of the painting where Muted Linen is strongest — Muted Linen

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Red is strongest — Warm 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
Deep Umber `#563F32`	Behr 760B-7 Revival Mahogany Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6076 Turkish Coffee Close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	6	Wood and frames
Ink Umber `#31231D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar	2	One bold piece
Muted Linen `#958E84`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9168 Elephant Ear Very close Valspar 6003-2A Artichoke Very close Behr MQ2-60 Iron Gate Very close Farrow & Ball No. 243 Charleston Gray Close	27	Bed, sofa, curtains
Light Linen `#C2B8A6`	Valspar 6008-1C Soft Stones Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7051 Analytical Gray Very close Behr HDC-FL13-10 Wilderness Gray Very close Farrow & Ball No. 283 Drop Cloth Very close	49	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#BF926B`	Behr HDC-CL-15 Burnished Caramel Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6116 Tatami Tan Very close Valspar 3003-7C Corner Café Close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	33	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Red `#BB644F`	Valspar 2009-5 Fall Leaf Near-identical Behr M200-6 Oxide Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6621 Emotional Close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	20	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 linen 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#B4B2AA

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

South-facing room#CFC2AC

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)#B09B7C

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 Deep Umber and the rug border takes Warm Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Linen

Muted Linen

Ink Umber

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

More palettes like this

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A Mosque Alberto Pasini, 1886

Gossip Giovanni Boldini, 1873

FAQ

What colors are in The Dispatch-Bearer?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Umber (#563F32, 30.5% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#31231D, 23.1% of the canvas), Muted Linen (#958E84, 21.6% of the canvas), Light Linen (#C2B8A6, 20% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#BF926B, 3.6% of the canvas), Warm Red (#BB644F, 1.2% 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 49, 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.