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

Fan Mount: The Ballet Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Fan Mount: The Ballet by Edgar Degas, 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 Linen on most walls, use Muted Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Grey to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Linen works best in a single textile.

Artist: Edgar Degas
Date: 1879
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 78

Fan Mount: The Ballet by Edgar Degas — Edgar Degas, *Fan Mount: The Ballet*, 1879. 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.

Light Linen

#D2CAB4 · 37.8% · LRV 59

Ink Grey

#2F332C · 36.9% · LRV 3

Shadow Green

#626155 · 14.3% · LRV 12

Muted Linen

#938F82 · 5% · LRV 28

Pale Linen

#EAE4D1 · 4.6% · LRV 78

Deep Umber

#574D35 · 1.3% · LRV 8

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.

Fan Mount: The Ballet reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Muted Linen is strongest — Muted Linen

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

Detail of the painting where Deep Umber is strongest — Deep 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
Light Linen `#D2CAB4`	Behr HDC-NT-18 Yuma Sand Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7738 Cargo Pants Very close Valspar 6007-1B Milestone Very close Farrow & Ball No. 15 Bone Very close	59	One small textile
Ink Grey `#2F332C`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Close Behr S-H-780 Thorny Branch Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar	3	One bold piece
Shadow Green `#626155`	Valspar 6001-2C Olive Smudge Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6202 Cast Iron Very close Behr N220-6 Landmark Brown Close Farrow & Ball No. 26 Down Pipe Similar	12	Small accents, art, accessories
Muted Linen `#938F82`	Valspar 6003-2A Artichoke Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9171 Felted Wool Very close Behr MQ6-25 Pavement Gray Close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Close	28	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Linen `#EAE4D1`	Behr YL-W12 YL-W12 Near-identical Valspar 7003-15 Romano Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7563 Restful White Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2010 James White Very close	78	Main walls
Deep Umber `#574D35`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6160 Best Bronze Close Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	8	Wood and frames

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 linen 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#CECEC6

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

South-facing room#EFE4CD

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)#C6B495

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 Light Linen in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Linen

Muted Linen

Ink Grey

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

North Facing Hallway Colors for Cool, Dim Light North-facing · Hallway

Coastal Bedroom Paint Colors Coastal style

Boho Bedroom Colors Boho style

More palettes like this

Standing Bather, Seen from the Back Paul Cezanne, 1879-82

Unfinished Study of Sheep Constant Troyon, c. 1850

Bacchante by the Sea Camille Corot, 1865

FAQ

What colors are in Fan Mount: The Ballet?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Light Linen (#D2CAB4, 37.8% of the canvas), Ink Grey (#2F332C, 36.9% of the canvas), Shadow Green (#626155, 14.3% of the canvas), Muted Linen (#938F82, 5% of the canvas), Pale Linen (#EAE4D1, 4.6% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#574D35, 1.3% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 78% of the light that hits it (LRV 78), 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.