19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

The Flood Gate Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Flood Gate by Emile van Marcke, 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 Yellow on most walls, use Warm Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Green to one bold piece. Warm Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Emile van Marcke
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 67

The Flood Gate by Emile van Marcke — Emile van Marcke, *The Flood Gate*. 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.

Warm Linen

#867E6C · 34.4% · LRV 21

Soft Black

#2F2A24 · 32% · LRV 2

Deep Green

#5B5B3D · 21.8% · LRV 10

Pale Yellow

#E8D3A9 · 6% · LRV 67

Warm Umber

#996A46 · 3.6% · LRV 18

Warm Yellow

#C79060 · 2.2% · LRV 33

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.

The Flood Gate reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Umber is strongest — Warm 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
Warm Linen `#867E6C`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7053 Adaptive Shade Very close Behr PPU8-24 Deserted Island Very close Valspar 6002-2B Mossy Aura Close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Similar	21	Bed, sofa, curtains
Soft Black `#2F2A24`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Green `#5B5B3D`	Behr N310-7 Classic Bronze Near-identical Valspar 6005-4C Summer's End Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	10	One bold piece
Pale Yellow `#E8D3A9`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6400 Lucent Yellow Near-identical Valspar 3006-8B Light Amber Very close Behr UL180-11 Lemon Drop Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Very close	67	Main walls
Warm Umber `#996A46`	Behr S240-6 Ranch Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 45 Antiquarian Brown Very close Valspar 3011-5 Autumn Surprise Very close	18	Wood and frames
Warm Yellow `#C79060`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9 Eastlake Gold Very close Behr PPU3-13 Glazed Ginger Very close Valspar 3002-5B Butternut Tree Close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	33	One small textile

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 yellow 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#CDC3AC

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

South-facing room#EDD7AE

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)#C5AA7E

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 Warm Umber and the rug border takes Warm Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Warm Linen

Deep Green

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

Rustic Exterior Paint Color Schemes from Four Paintings House exterior · Rustic

More palettes like this

Houses of Parliament, London Claude Monet, 1900–1

On a Balcony Mary Cassatt, 1878–79

Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress Paul Cézanne, 1888–90

FAQ

What colors are in The Flood Gate?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Warm Linen (#867E6C, 34.4% of the canvas), Soft Black (#2F2A24, 32% of the canvas), Deep Green (#5B5B3D, 21.8% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#E8D3A9, 6% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#996A46, 3.6% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#C79060, 2.2% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 67% of the light that hits it (LRV 67), 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.