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

Portrait of a Man Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Portrait of a Man, an oil painting on canvas by Frans Hals from the early 1650s. Nearly everything in it is very dark, with a light gray and a pale apricot for contrast. It suits a study or library where you want a quiet, moody room.

Quick answer

Put the pale apricot #DCB595 on the walls and the light gray #B5B7B4 on a sofa or rug. Use #755E46 for wood and #4F4536 for a textile.

Artist: Frans Hals
Date: early 1650s
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 50

Portrait of a Man by Frans Hals — Frans Hals, *Portrait of a Man*, early 1650s. 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

#272625 · 47.8% · LRV 2

Dark Umber

#3A352E · 39.1% · LRV 4

Olive Brown

#4F4536 · 6.5% · LRV 6

Pale Stone Gray

#B5B7B4 · 3.2% · LRV 47

Walnut Tan

#755E46 · 1.9% · LRV 12

Pale Apricot

#DCB595 · 1.6% · 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.

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 Dark Umber is strongest — Dark Umber

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

Detail of the painting where Pale Stone Gray is strongest — Pale Stone Gray

Detail of the painting where Walnut Tan is strongest — Walnut Tan

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

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 `#272625`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Close Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Umber `#3A352E`	Behr N210-7 Havana Coffee Very close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Close Valspar 6011-1 Fired Earth Similar	4	One bold piece
Olive Brown `#4F4536`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7055 Enduring Bronze Very close Behr N220-7 Cavalry Brown Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Close Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	6	One small textile
Pale Stone Gray `#B5B7B4`	Valspar 4004-1B Urban Sunrise Near-identical Behr PPU18-11 Classic Silver Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7658 Gray Clouds Very close Farrow & Ball No. 22 Light Blue Close	47	Bed, sofa, curtains
Walnut Tan `#755E46`	Behr N240-7 Joshua Tree Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6111 Coconut Husk Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Close	12	Wood and frames
Pale Apricot `#DCB595`	Behr S250-3 Honey Nougat Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6352 Soft Apricot Very close Valspar 2005-6A Antelope Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Similar	50	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 apricot 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#C5B09F

In cool north light, #DCB595 adds the warmth that the dark palette needs. Its LRV of 50 keeps the wall from looking dull.

South-facing room#E4C09E

Strong south light brings out the red-orange undertone in #DCB595 and makes it look more golden. Use the gray #B5B7B4 to cool it down.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#BE9973

Under warm evening bulbs the browns merge into one dark, warm background. Lamps near the light apricot wall keep the room from feeling too dark.

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 Walnut Tan and the rug border takes Olive Brown in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Apricot

Pale Stone Gray

Dark Umber

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

Young Herdsmen with Cows Aelbert Cuyp, ca. 1655–60

Anna van der Aar (born 1576/77, died after 1626) Frans Hals, 1626

A Beach with Fishing Boats Jan van Goyen, probably 1653

FAQ

Is this palette too dark for a small room?

Two colors take up 87 percent of the painting and have an LRV of 4 or lower. In a small room, use them on furniture, not on all the walls.

What is the best wall color in this palette?

The pale apricot #DCB595 has an LRV of 50 and a warm red-orange undertone. It is the lightest wall option here.

How do I use the light gray?

The gray #B5B7B4 (LRV 47) is the main furniture color. It suits a sofa, a rug or curtains.

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.