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

Still Life Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Still Life by Georg Flegel, 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 Light Green on most walls, use Light Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Olive to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Georg Flegel
Date: probably ca. 1625–30
Movement: 17th-century German painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 51

Still Life by Georg Flegel — Georg Flegel, *Still Life*, probably ca. 1625–30. 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.

Soft Black

#25221E · 52.2% · LRV 2

Light Green

#BCBEB3 · 15.3% · LRV 51

Deep Olive

#58542D · 11.3% · LRV 9

Deep Umber

#815938 · 8.3% · LRV 12

Warm Yellow

#9C8560 · 6.6% · LRV 25

Light Yellow

#D9B783 · 6.4% · LRV 50

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.

Still Life reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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 Light Yellow is strongest — Light 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
Soft Black `#25221E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Light Green `#BCBEB3`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6184 Austere Gray Near-identical Behr UL210-8 Silver Sage Very close Farrow & Ball No. 266 Mizzle Very close Valspar 5005-3C Nuance Very close	51	Main walls
Deep Olive `#58542D`	Behr 360F-7 Olive Shadow Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7735 Palm Leaf Close Valspar 6005-4C Summer's End Similar Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	9	One bold piece
Deep Umber `#815938`	Behr S240-7 Leather Work Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9107 Über Umber Very close Valspar 2008-7A Natural Cork Similar	12	Wood and frames
Warm Yellow `#9C8560`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6138 Artifact Very close Valspar 3006-9B Prairie Path Very close Behr 280F-5 New Chestnut Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	25	One small textile
Light Yellow `#D9B783`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7692 Cupola Yellow Very close Behr UL180-22 Egyptian Temple Very close Valspar 3003-8A Young At Heart Very close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Close	50	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 light green 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#B1B5B2

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

South-facing room#CBC7B6

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)#AC9E84

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 Warm Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Green

Light Yellow

Deep 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

More palettes like this

At the Milliner's Edgar Degas, 1881

Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz Amedeo Modigliani, 1916

Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin and Christ Child Girolamo da Carpi, c. 1535

FAQ

What colors are in Still Life?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#25221E, 52.2% of the canvas), Light Green (#BCBEB3, 15.3% of the canvas), Deep Olive (#58542D, 11.3% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#815938, 8.3% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#9C8560, 6.6% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#D9B783, 6.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 51, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

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.