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

A Musician and His Daughter Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Thomas de Keyser's A Musician and His Daughter, 1629. It is dark and green-tinged, with a pale cream and a warm tan, and it suits a library or a den.

Quick answer

Use the cream #EDE8D3 on the walls, tan #A68663 for main pieces, olive #46463D for textiles, rust #7C4725 for accents and #32322A for deep shadows.

Artist: Thomas de Keyser
Date: 1629
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 80

A Musician and His Daughter by Thomas de Keyser — Thomas de Keyser, *A Musician and His Daughter*, 1629. 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

#1B1A19 · 30.7% · LRV 1

Dark Olive Black

#32322A · 29.6% · LRV 3

Deep Olive

#46463D · 24.7% · LRV 6

Warm Tan

#A68663 · 11.2% · LRV 26

Pale Cream

#EDE8D3 · 1.9% · LRV 80

Rust Brown

#7C4725 · 1.9% · LRV 9

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.

A Musician and His Daughter 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 Olive Black is strongest — Dark Olive Black

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

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

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

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

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 `#1B1A19`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 770F-7 Beluga Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Olive Black `#32322A`	Behr N210-7 Havana Coffee Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Olive `#46463D`	Behr S-H-740 Fedora Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Very close Valspar 6010-3 Olive Suede Close Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Close	6	One small textile
Warm Tan `#A68663`	Behr BIC-44 Chamois Leather Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9105 Almond Roca Very close Valspar 3003-7B Leather Satchel Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	26	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Cream `#EDE8D3`	Valspar 6007-3A Ginger Sugar Near-identical Behr OR-W8 Coco Malt Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6420 Queen Anne's Lace Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2010 James White Very close	80	Main walls
Rust Brown `#7C4725`	Behr 240D-7 Chestnut Stallion Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9100 Umber Rust Similar Valspar 2010-6 Burnt Caramel Similar	9	One bold piece

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 cream 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#D0D1C8

In north light the cream #EDE8D3 at LRV 80 stays bright and warm, so it keeps the dark colors from closing in.

South-facing room#F1E8CF

In strong south light the cream is very bright and can feel plain, so the tan and rust add warmth.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C8B696

Under warm evening bulbs the cream looks golden, and the dark olive colors read as soft shadow.

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 Olive in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Cream

Warm Tan

Rust Brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for A Musician and His Daughter

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

Portrait of a Man Pieter van Slingelandt, ca. 1680

Portrait of a Seated Man Gerard ter Borch the Younger, late 1650s or early 1660s

Portrait of a Man Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1647

FAQ

Are the dark greens usable at home?

The olive tones have an LRV of 3 and 6, so use them in furniture, rugs or a feature wall rather than a whole room.

What color works for the main wall?

The cream #EDE8D3 at LRV 80 is the lightest color and gives the room its brightness.

Does this palette need a bright accent?

The rust #7C4725 is enough. At LRV 9 it adds warmth without brightness.

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.