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

Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs by Anthony van Dyck, 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 Light Ochre for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Soft Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Anthony van Dyck
Movement: 17th-century Flemish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 78

Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs by Anthony van Dyck — Anthony van Dyck, *Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs*. 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

#433626 · 39% · LRV 4

Deep Umber

#5F513D · 33.5% · LRV 9

Warm Yellow

#A48760 · 12.6% · LRV 26

Soft Umber

#5D4730 · 8.4% · LRV 7

Light Ochre

#EBA475 · 4% · LRV 46

Pale Yellow

#FFE1A6 · 2.5% · LRV 78

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.

Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs 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 Soft Umber is strongest — Soft Umber

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

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

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 `#433626`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Similar Valspar 6010-2 Deep Earth Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	4	One bold piece
Deep Umber `#5F513D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6160 Best Bronze Very close Behr N230-7 Rustic Tobacco Very close Valspar 6009-2 Harvest Brown Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Yellow `#A48760`	Behr BIC-44 Chamois Leather Very close Valspar 3008-7A Grecian Olive Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2814 Rookwood Antique Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	26	One small textile
Soft Umber `#5D4730`	Behr 280F-7 Breakfast Blend Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6104 Kaffee Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar	7	Wood and frames
Light Ochre `#EBA475`	Behr 280D-4 Caramel Sundae Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6633 Inventive Orange Very close Valspar 2006-3C Apricot Honey Very close	46	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Yellow `#FFE1A6`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9016 La Luna Amarilla Very close Valspar 2008-2B Spun Honey Very close Behr M290-3 Corn Stalk Very close Farrow & Ball No. 68 Dorset Cream Close	78	Main walls

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#DCCCAA

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

South-facing room#FFE2AC

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)#D2B27C

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 Soft Umber and the rug border takes Warm Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Light Ochre

Ink Umber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs

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

Guardroom with the Deliverance of Saint Peter David Teniers the Younger, ca. 1645–47

Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678) Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1635

A Partridge and Small Game Birds Jan Fyt, 1650s

FAQ

What colors are in Two Tritons at the Feast of Acheloüs?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#433626, 39% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#5F513D, 33.5% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A48760, 12.6% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#5D4730, 8.4% of the canvas), Light Ochre (#EBA475, 4% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#FFE1A6, 2.5% 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.