15th-century German painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap by German, 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 Ochre on most walls, use Deep Ochre for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Red to one bold piece. Warm Ochre suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: German
Date: c. 1480
Movement: 15th-century German painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 75

Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap by German — German, *Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap*, c. 1480. The Art Institute of Chicago, 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

#291A12 · 63.1% · LRV 1

Warm Ochre

#987254 · 16% · LRV 19

Deep Ochre

#CF9676 · 7.9% · LRV 36

Pale Ochre

#FFDABF · 5.8% · LRV 75

Deep Red

#BB3D2C · 4.3% · LRV 14

Soft Red

#892F27 · 2.9% · 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.

Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap 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 Warm Ochre is strongest — Warm Ochre

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

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

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

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

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 `#291A12`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2838 Polished Mahogany Similar Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Ochre `#987254`	Valspar 3002-7A Chestnut Beach Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6095 Toasty Very close Behr UL140-21 Toffee Bar Very close	19	Wood and frames
Deep Ochre `#CF9676`	Valspar 2004-5C Laredo Very close Behr MQ4-37 Ferrous Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6353 Chivalry Copper Very close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	36	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Ochre `#FFDABF`	Behr M230-3 Mystic Opal Very close Valspar 2006-4C Peach Champagne Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6631 Naive Peach Close Farrow & Ball No. 202 Pink Ground Close	75	Main walls
Deep Red `#BB3D2C`	Behr M180-7 Deep Fire Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6622 Hearty Orange Close Valspar 2009-4 Lovely Love Song Similar Farrow & Ball No. 212 Blazer Similar	14	One bold piece
Soft Red `#892F27`	Behr S-H-200 New Brick Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6335 Fired Brick Close Valspar 1009-4 Cut Ruby Similar Farrow & Ball No. 248 Incarnadine Similar	8	One small textile

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 ochre 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#DCC8BB

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

South-facing room#FFDDBF

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)#D2AE8B

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 Warm Ochre and the rug border takes Soft Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Ochre

Deep Ochre

Deep Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap

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

Small Bathroom Paint Colors with No Windows Dark room · Bathroom

More palettes like this

The Stolen Kiss Jean Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1760

Cliff Walk at Pourville Claude Monet, 1882

A Young Woman as a Shepherdess Govert Flinck

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#291A12, 63.1% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#987254, 16% of the canvas), Deep Ochre (#CF9676, 7.9% of the canvas), Pale Ochre (#FFDABF, 5.8% of the canvas), Deep Red (#BB3D2C, 4.3% of the canvas), Soft Red (#892F27, 2.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 75% of the light that hits it (LRV 75), 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 Art Institute of Chicago releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, 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.