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

Landscape with a Cave Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny's Landscape with a Cave. It pairs earthy browns with a cool pale blue, and it suits a bedroom or a reading room that wants a calm mix of warm and cool.

Quick answer

Paint the walls pale blue #BECAF4, use #DEBF93 for main pieces, #877561 for wood, periwinkle #818CC0 for textiles and #493C35 for accents.

Artist: Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 60

Landscape with a Cave by Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny — Théodore Caruelle d'Aligny, *Landscape with a Cave*. 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.

Dark Cave Brown

#493C35 · 44.1% · LRV 5

Dusty Taupe

#877561 · 21% · LRV 19

Soft Khaki

#AF9A81 · 13.8% · LRV 34

Pale Sky Periwinkle

#BECAF4 · 12.9% · LRV 60

Soft Periwinkle

#818CC0 · 5.3% · LRV 27

Light Sand

#DEBF93 · 2.9% · LRV 55

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.

Landscape with a Cave reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Dark Cave Brown is strongest — Dark Cave Brown

Detail of the painting where Dusty Taupe is strongest — Dusty Taupe

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

Detail of the painting where Pale Sky Periwinkle is strongest — Pale Sky Periwinkle

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

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

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
Dark Cave Brown `#493C35`	Behr N170-7 Baronial Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Close Valspar 4002-2C Black Raisin Close	5	One bold piece
Dusty Taupe `#877561`	Behr BXC-73 True Walnut Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7039 Virtual Taupe Close Valspar 2006-9B Scented Candle Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	19	Wood and frames
Soft Khaki `#AF9A81`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9112 Song Thrush Very close Behr UL170-3 Mission Hills Very close Valspar 3003-9C Au Lait Ole Very close Farrow & Ball No. 6 London Stone Close	34	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale Sky Periwinkle `#BECAF4`	Behr 620A-3 Rhapsody Lilac Very close Valspar 4004-9C Iris Moon Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9066 Agapanthus Similar	60	Main walls
Soft Periwinkle `#818CC0`	Valspar 4004-8B Violet Twist Close Behr S570-5 Live Jazz Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6816 Dahlia Close Farrow & Ball No. 237 Cook's Blue Similar	27	One small textile
Light Sand `#DEBF93`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6128 Blonde Near-identical Behr 300E-3 Clair De Lune Near-identical Valspar 3004-8A Palamino Pony Very close Farrow & Ball No. 37 Hay Close	55	Bed, sofa, curtains

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 sky periwinkle 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#B2BEDD

In north light the pale blue #BECAF4 at LRV 60 can look cool, so balance it with the sand and taupe pieces.

South-facing room#CCD0E8

In strong south light the pale blue looks clear and fresh, and the sand and khaki look brighter.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#ADA5A9

Under warm evening bulbs the blue loses some of its coolness and looks softer, while the sand turns golden.

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 Dusty Taupe and the rug border takes Soft Periwinkle in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Sky Periwinkle

Light Sand

Dark Cave Brown

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

Blue and Green Bedroom Walls Blue · Bedroom

More palettes like this

The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and the Muses Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, 1884–89

The Flood Gate Emile van Marcke

The Court of the Princess Adolphe Monticelli

FAQ

Is pale blue a good wall color with browns?

Yes. The painting uses them together, with the blue at 12.9 percent and the browns making up most of the rest.

Where should the periwinkle go?

#818CC0 at LRV 27 suits curtains, a throw or an accent chair, where it adds contrast to the neutral browns.

Can the dark brown be used on walls?

#493C35 has an LRV of 5. It works on a single wall or built-ins, not usually on all four walls.

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.