17th-century Dutch painting · art-to-room palette

Vanitas Still Life Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Vanitas Still Life by Edwaert Collier, 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 Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: Edwaert Collier
Date: 1662
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 67

Vanitas Still Life by Edwaert Collier — Edwaert Collier, *Vanitas Still Life*, 1662. 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.

Ink Umber

#3B2E1F · 52.2% · LRV 3

Deep Umber

#554027 · 23% · LRV 6

Warm Yellow

#B89561 · 9.5% · LRV 33

Warm Umber

#966631 · 8.2% · LRV 16

Pale Yellow

#EED2A7 · 6.4% · LRV 67

Soft Umber

#9A4F27 · 0.7% · LRV 13

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.

Vanitas Still Life reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
Ink Umber `#3B2E1F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Similar Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#554027`	Behr 280F-7 Breakfast Blend Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7041 Van Dyke Brown Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar	6	Wood and frames
Warm Yellow `#B89561`	Behr 270F-5 Wilmington Tan Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7699 Rustic City Very close Valspar 3004-7B Lariat Tan Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	33	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Umber `#966631`	Behr PPU6-01 Curry Powder Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6132 Relic Bronze Close Valspar 3011-5 Autumn Surprise Close	16	One bold piece
Pale Yellow `#EED2A7`	Valspar 3004-6B Warm Sunshine Near-identical Behr HDC-CT-01 Amber Moon Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6666 Enjoyable Yellow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 68 Dorset Cream Close	67	Main walls
Soft Umber `#9A4F27`	Behr 240D-7 Chestnut Stallion Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6349 Pennywise Close Valspar 3011-6 Toffee Glaze Similar Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	13	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 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#D1C2AB

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

South-facing room#F2D6AC

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)#C9AA7D

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

Warm Yellow

Warm 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

Portrait of a Man Johannes Verspronck, 1645

Portrait of a Man with a Watch Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen the Younger, 1657

Portrait of a Woman Jan van Ravesteyn, 1635

FAQ

What colors are in Vanitas Still Life?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#3B2E1F, 52.2% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#554027, 23% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#B89561, 9.5% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#966631, 8.2% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#EED2A7, 6.4% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#9A4F27, 0.7% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 67% of the light that hits it (LRV 67), 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.