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

The Young Bather Color Palette & Paint Colors

Courbet's "The Young Bather" is mostly deep green with a mid-tone olive and a cream. It suits a room that feels close to a wood or garden.

Quick answer

Use the cream #DFCBAA on the walls, #B5BA83 for main furniture and #575840 for one deep accent. Wood can follow #807A5F.

Artist: Gustave Courbet
Date: 1866
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 61

The Young Bather by Gustave Courbet — Gustave Courbet, *The Young Bather*, 1866. 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 Forest Olive

#575840 · 48.4% · LRV 9

Dry Olive Brown

#807A5F · 25.1% · LRV 19

Leaf Green

#969A6B · 11.2% · LRV 31

Warm Cream

#DFCBAA · 10.1% · LRV 61

Pale Moss

#B5BA83 · 2.6% · LRV 47

Sage Green

#7F9A7C · 2.5% · LRV 29

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

Detail of the painting where Deep Forest Olive is strongest — Deep Forest Olive

Detail of the painting where Dry Olive Brown is strongest — Dry Olive Brown

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

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

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

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

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 Forest Olive `#575840`	Behr N320-7 Primitive Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Very close Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	9	One bold piece
Dry Olive Brown `#807A5F`	Valspar 5008-2B Ironclad Very close Behr QE-37 Knotweed Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2861 Avocado Very close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Similar	19	Wood and frames
Leaf Green `#969A6B`	Behr HDC-SP14-2 Exotic Palm Very close Valspar 6002-4B Garden of Paradise Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9038 Cucuzza Verde Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Close	31	One small textile
Warm Cream `#DFCBAA`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7688 Sundew Near-identical Behr MQ3-44 Ancient Scroll Very close Farrow & Ball No. 8 String Very close Valspar 3002-10B Wheat Toast Very close	61	Main walls
Pale Moss `#B5BA83`	Behr S330-4 Fennell Seed Very close Valspar 6004-6A Brush Meadow Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9037 Baby Bok Choy Close Farrow & Ball No. 251 Churlish Green Similar	47	Bed, sofa, curtains
Sage Green `#7F9A7C`	Valspar 5007-6B Plaza Green Very close Behr N350-5 Muted Sage Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7742 Agate Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 81 Breakfast Room Green Similar	29	Small accents, art, accessories

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 warm cream 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#C7BEAD

In north light the greens turn cooler and darker. The cream #DFCBAA at LRV 61 stays warm and keeps the wall from feeling gloomy.

South-facing room#E6D1AF

In strong south light the olive tones show their yellow side, and #969A6B looks fresher. The cream can look pale and slightly bleached.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0A57F

Under warm evening bulbs the deep green #575840 at LRV 9 turns very dark, so give it a lit corner or a lamp.

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 Dry Olive Brown and the rug border takes Leaf Green in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Cream

Pale Moss

Deep Forest Olive

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

Hygge Color Scheme: Six Calm Colors from Paintings Scandinavian style

More palettes like this

Tahitian Landscape Paul Gauguin, 1892

Woman Standing Beside a Balustrade with a Poodle Paul Ranson, ca. 1895

Springtime Théodore Rousseau, c. 1860

FAQ

What is the main color in this painting?

The deep green #575840 covers 48.4% of the canvas and has an LRV of 9.

Which color suits the walls?

The warm cream #DFCBAA, with an LRV of 61, is the wall role.

Do the greens work together?

They share a green undertone, so they sit together easily, from the pale moss to the deep olive.

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.