18th-century Spanish painting · art-to-room palette

Majas on a Balcony Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Majas on a Balcony by Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes), 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 Light Linen on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Umber to one bold piece. Soft Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Ink Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes)
Date: ca. 1800–1810
Movement: 18th-century Spanish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Majas on a Balcony by Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) — Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes), *Majas on a Balcony*, ca. 1800–1810. 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

#383128 · 36.8% · LRV 3

Soft Black

#1B1715 · 24.7% · LRV 1

Deep Umber

#635648 · 24.2% · LRV 10

Light Linen

#C2A78D · 10.4% · LRV 41

Soft Umber

#886145 · 2.4% · LRV 14

Warm Yellow

#AA8C60 · 1.5% · LRV 28

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.

Majas on a Balcony 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 Soft Black is strongest — Soft Black

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

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

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

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

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 `#383128`	Behr N210-7 Havana Coffee Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Similar Valspar 6011-1 Fired Earth Similar	3	One small textile
Soft Black `#1B1715`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#635648`	Behr 760B-6 Traditional Near-identical Valspar 6009-2 Harvest Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7054 Suitable Brown Very close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	10	One bold piece
Light Linen `#C2A78D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9096 Beige Intenso Near-identical Behr S240-4 Pacific Bluffs Very close Valspar 3001-10A Boulder Beige Very close Farrow & Ball No. 6 London Stone Close	41	Main walls
Soft Umber `#886145`	Behr MQ2-10 Burnt Caramel Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6096 Jute Brown Very close Valspar 2008-7A Natural Cork Very close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	14	Wood and frames
Warm Yellow `#AA8C60`	Behr N270-5 River Road Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 43 Peristyle Brass Very close Valspar 3008-7A Grecian Olive Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	28	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.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#ECD3BC).

How the lightest tone 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#D0C3B9

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

South-facing room#F0D7BD

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)#C7AA89

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 Soft Umber and the rug border takes Ink Umber in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Linen

Warm Yellow

Deep 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

María Luisa of Parma (1751–1819), Queen of Spain Goya

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda) Luis Meléndez, ca. 1772

FAQ

What colors are in Majas on a Balcony?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#383128, 36.8% of the canvas), Soft Black (#1B1715, 24.7% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#635648, 24.2% of the canvas), Light Linen (#C2A78D, 10.4% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#886145, 2.4% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#AA8C60, 1.5% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 68% of the light that hits it (LRV 68), 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.