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

Portrait of a Man Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Man by Hugo van der Goes, 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 Warm Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Ochre to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Teal works best in a single textile.

Artist: Hugo van der Goes
Date: ca. 1475
Movement: 15th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 73

Portrait of a Man by Hugo van der Goes — Hugo van der Goes, *Portrait of a Man*, ca. 1475. 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

#2D2826 · 54.7% · LRV 2

Shadow Grey

#443A35 · 24.2% · LRV 5

Warm Ochre

#B0856F · 9.3% · LRV 27

Light Teal

#B3CEC9 · 6.4% · LRV 58

Pale Ochre

#FFD7B9 · 3.1% · LRV 73

Warm Linen

#ACA484 · 2.3% · LRV 37

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 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 Shadow Grey is strongest — Shadow Grey

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

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

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

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

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 `#2D2826`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Close Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Shadow Grey `#443A35`	Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2735 Rockweed Close Valspar 4002-2C Black Raisin Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Close	5	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Ochre `#B0856F`	Valspar 2004-7B Mocha Java Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2804 Renwick Rose Beige Very close Behr S200-5 Minestrone Very close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	27	One bold piece
Light Teal `#B3CEC9`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6478 Watery Very close Behr N450-3 Meteor Shower Very close Valspar 5002-3B Sparkling Lake Close Farrow & Ball No. 210 Blue Ground Close	58	One small textile
Pale Ochre `#FFD7B9`	Behr 280A-3 Delicious Melon Very close Valspar 2004-2B Simply Peach Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6638 Flattering Peach Close Farrow & Ball No. 202 Pink Ground Similar	73	Main walls
Warm Linen `#ACA484`	Behr PPU9-22 Cricket Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 42 Ruskin Room Green Very close Valspar 6006-4A Cool Moss Close Farrow & Ball No. 19 Lichen Close	37	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 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#DCC6B6

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

South-facing room#FFDABA

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)#D2AC87

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Light Teal in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Ochre

Warm Linen

Warm Ochre

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

The Annunciation Petrus Christus, ca. 1445

Francesco d'Este (born ca. 1429, died after 1486) Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1460

Saint John the Baptist; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata Gerard David, ca. 1485–90

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Man?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#2D2826, 54.7% of the canvas), Shadow Grey (#443A35, 24.2% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#B0856F, 9.3% of the canvas), Light Teal (#B3CEC9, 6.4% of the canvas), Pale Ochre (#FFD7B9, 3.1% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#ACA484, 2.3% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 73% of the light that hits it (LRV 73), 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.