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

The Fishing Boat Color Palette & Paint Colors

Courbet's "The Fishing Boat" is a set of warm neutrals with black and brown. It suits a hall, a den or a plain living room.

Quick answer

Use #E5DBB8 on the walls, #A39374 for main furniture and #634B38 for wood. Add #4A2D1D as a small accent.

Artist: Gustave Courbet
Date: 1865
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

The Fishing Boat by Gustave Courbet — Gustave Courbet, *The Fishing Boat*, 1865. 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.

Driftwood Tan

#A39374 · 31.1% · LRV 30

Pale Straw

#E5DBB8 · 30.5% · LRV 71

Pure Black

#000000 · 15.8% · LRV 0

Walnut Brown

#634B38 · 11.8% · LRV 8

Light Sand Gold

#E8CA94 · 6.7% · LRV 62

Dark Cocoa

#4A2D1D · 4.1% · LRV 3

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

Detail of the painting where Driftwood Tan is strongest — Driftwood Tan

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

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

Detail of the painting where Walnut Brown is strongest — Walnut Brown

Detail of the painting where Light Sand Gold is strongest — Light Sand Gold

Detail of the painting where Dark Cocoa is strongest — Dark Cocoa

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
Driftwood Tan `#A39374`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7731 San Antonio Sage Near-identical Valspar 6008-4B Caraway Shield Very close Behr PPU8-06 Exploring Khaki Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	30	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Straw `#E5DBB8`	Behr PPU8-13 Lemon Balm Very close Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6414 Rice Paddy Very close Valspar 6006-5A Tempered Sage Very close	71	Main walls
Pure Black `#000000`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Nearest available	0	Small accents, art, accessories
Walnut Brown `#634B38`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9091 Half‐Caff Very close Behr N250-7 Mission Brown Very close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	8	Wood and frames
Light Sand Gold `#E8CA94`	Behr M270-4 Filtered Moon Very close Valspar 3004-6A Delightful Moon Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2857 Peace Yellow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 37 Hay Very close	62	One small textile
Dark Cocoa `#4A2D1D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Very close Behr 770B-7 Chocolate Sparkle Similar	3	One bold piece

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 straw 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#CBC9B6

In north light the straw #E5DBB8 at LRV 71 remains warm. The tan #A39374 looks slightly gray.

South-facing room#EBDDBA

In strong south light the walls look bright and soft. The sand gold #E8CA94 gains more yellow.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C4AF86

Under warm evening bulbs the black and dark cocoa blend together, so use the tan to define furniture edges.

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 Walnut Brown and the rug border takes Light Sand Gold in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Straw

Driftwood Tan

Dark Cocoa

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

Pastel Color Palette for Home, Paired by Painters Pastel

More palettes like this

Bordighera Claude Monet, 1884

On a Balcony Mary Cassatt, 1878–79

Mrs. William Astor (Caroline Webster Schermerhorn, 1831–1908) Carolus-Duran (Charles-Auguste-Emile Durant), 1890

FAQ

Should I use the pure black?

Pure black covers 15.8% of the painting, but at home it is best in frames, hardware or a rug.

What is the wall color?

The pale straw #E5DBB8, with an LRV of 71.

Which colors are the wood tones?

The walnut brown #634B38, with an LRV of 8.

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.