16th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages by Paris Bordon, 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 Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: Paris Bordon
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 70

Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages by Paris Bordon — Paris Bordon, *Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages*. 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 Black

#29221D · 58.2% · LRV 2

Deep Umber

#644A32 · 12.5% · LRV 8

Light Yellow

#B2AA88 · 12.2% · LRV 40

Ink Umber

#503526 · 11.7% · LRV 4

Soft Umber

#955838 · 3.5% · LRV 14

Pale Yellow

#FFD29E · 1.9% · LRV 70

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 Man in Armor with Two Pages reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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 Black `#29221D`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#644A32`	Behr N250-7 Mission Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6097 Sturdy Brown Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close	8	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#B2AA88`	Behr 710D-4 Harvest Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7736 Garden Sage Very close Valspar 6004-3C Backwoods Close Farrow & Ball No. 75 Ball Green Close	40	Bed, sofa, curtains
Ink Umber `#503526`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Near-identical Behr 770B-7 Chocolate Sparkle Close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	4	One bold piece
Soft Umber `#955838`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2803 Rookwood Terra Cotta Close Valspar 3011-6 Toffee Glaze Close Behr PPU3-18 Artisan Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	14	One small textile
Pale Yellow `#FFD29E`	Behr P240-3 Mango Nectar Very close Valspar 2008-4B Honey Pecan Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6660 Honey Blush Very close Farrow & Ball No. 68 Dorset Cream Similar	70	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#DCC2A6

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

South-facing room#FFD6A5

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)#D2AA78

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 Soft Umber in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Light Yellow

Ink Umber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages

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

The Entombment Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino), 1554

Portrait of a Woman Francesco Montemezzano

The Adoration of the Shepherds L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti), late 1520s

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Man in Armor with Two Pages?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#29221D, 58.2% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#644A32, 12.5% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#B2AA88, 12.2% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#503526, 11.7% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#955838, 3.5% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#FFD29E, 1.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 70% of the light that hits it (LRV 70), 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.