16th-century painting · art-to-room palette

Man Weighing Gold Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Man Weighing Gold by Adriaen Isenbrant, 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 Green for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Ochre to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Adriaen Isenbrant
Date: ca. 1515–20
Movement: 16th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 65

Man Weighing Gold by Adriaen Isenbrant — Adriaen Isenbrant, *Man Weighing Gold*, ca. 1515–20. 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

#1F1D13 · 48.5% · LRV 1

Deep Olive

#4D4C27 · 23% · LRV 7

Deep Green

#666635 · 13.3% · LRV 13

Warm Ochre

#C5693D · 6.5% · LRV 22

Deep Red

#8E472E · 5.3% · LRV 11

Pale Ochre

#FFC8AA · 3.4% · LRV 66

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.

Man Weighing Gold 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 Olive is strongest — Deep Olive

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

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

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

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

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 `#1F1D13`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Olive `#4D4C27`	Behr S-H-750 Mountain Trail Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Similar Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Similar	7	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Green `#666635`	Behr 750D-6 Lemon Pepper Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6426 Basque Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Close Valspar 6005-4C Summer's End Close	13	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Ochre `#C5693D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6635 Determined Orange Near-identical Valspar 2011-2 Dark Palomino Very close Behr 240D-6 Chivalry Copper Very close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	22	One bold piece
Deep Red `#8E472E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 8 Cajun Red Very close Behr 230D-7 Cinnamon Brandy Close Valspar 2009-6 Autumn Russet Similar Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	11	One small textile
Pale Ochre `#FFC8AA`	Valspar 2002-2A Tropical Breeze Very close Behr 270A-3 Luminary Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6632 Neighborly Peach Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Similar	66	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 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#DCBCAD

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

South-facing room#FFCFAF

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)#D2A47F

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 Deep 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 Green

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

Guides that use colors from this painting

What Color Goes With Emerald Green Paint on Walls Emerald

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FAQ

What colors are in Man Weighing Gold?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#1F1D13, 48.5% of the canvas), Deep Olive (#4D4C27, 23% of the canvas), Deep Green (#666635, 13.3% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#C5693D, 6.5% of the canvas), Deep Red (#8E472E, 5.3% of the canvas), Pale Ochre (#FFC8AA, 3.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 65% of the light that hits it (LRV 65), 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.