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

On the Seine Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built from sage, pale green, and deep bronze, olive, and brown tones taken from Homer Dodge Martin's c. 1895 painting On the Seine. It suits rooms that want a quiet, earthy scheme with soft green walls and dark wood or textile accents.

Quick answer

Use the sage as the main wall color across most of the room, and the pale green on a secondary wall or the ceiling. Save the bronze brown for one accent piece, the olive for textiles, and the moss for wood trim or furniture.

Artist: Homer Dodge Martin
Date: c. 1895
Movement: 19th-century American painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 76

On the Seine by Homer Dodge Martin — Homer Dodge Martin, *On the Seine*, c. 1895. The Art Institute of Chicago, 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 Sage Gray

#BBBEA8 · 46.9% · LRV 50

Pale Celadon Green

#DEE5D3 · 18.2% · LRV 76

Deep Bronze Brown

#584A2A · 14.9% · LRV 7

Dark Olive Khaki

#61532E · 9.8% · LRV 9

Near-Black Umber

#34251D · 5.5% · LRV 2

Muted Moss Olive

#786C36 · 4.7% · LRV 15

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.

On the Seine reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Soft Sage Gray is strongest — Soft Sage Gray

Detail of the painting where Pale Celadon Green is strongest — Pale Celadon Green

Detail of the painting where Deep Bronze Brown is strongest — Deep Bronze Brown

Detail of the painting where Dark Olive Khaki is strongest — Dark Olive Khaki

Detail of the painting where Near-Black Umber is strongest — Near-Black Umber

Detail of the painting where Muted Moss Olive is strongest — Muted Moss Olive

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 Sage Gray `#BBBEA8`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6177 Softened Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 234 Vert de Terre Very close Behr 750D-4 Pebble Stone Very close Valspar 5008-3C Green Monsoon Close	50	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Celadon Green `#DEE5D3`	Behr N350-1 Hazy Trail Very close Valspar 5008-3A Pale Oak Grove Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6435 Gratifying Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 252 Pavilion Blue Close	76	Main walls
Deep Bronze Brown `#584A2A`	Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9125 Oliva Oscuro Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar	7	One bold piece
Dark Olive Khaki `#61532E`	Behr 300F-7 Centaur Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7735 Palm Leaf Close Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Similar	9	One small textile
Near-Black Umber `#34251D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Muted Moss Olive `#786C36`	Behr S320-7 African Plain Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6425 Relentless Olive Close Valspar 6006-6C Olivita Similar Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	15	Wood and frames

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 celadon green 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#C7CEC8

In north light, the sage wall will read cooler and greyer, and the pale green will look almost neutral. Choose this scheme if you want a calm, slightly subdued room.

South-facing room#E5E5CF

In strong south light, the sage wall will look brighter and warmer, and its green undertone will soften. The pale green may read close to white, so check it against the sage in the room before committing.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0B596

Under warm evening bulbs, the sage will shift toward a warmer, more yellow green and the bronze and olive tones will look richer. The room will feel cozier after 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 Muted Moss Olive and the rug border takes Dark Olive Khaki in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Celadon Green

Soft Sage Gray

Deep Bronze Brown

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

Paint Colors for South Facing Rooms South-facing

South Facing Bedroom Colors That Stay Cool in Strong Light South-facing · Bedroom

East Facing Room Paint Color: Soft Neutrals for Morning and Afternoon East-facing

White Bedroom Colors From Paintings, With Pairings White · Bedroom

More palettes like this

Mountain Brook Albert Bierstadt, 1863

Afterglow George Inness, 1893

Phebe Russell Swain Welch Sheldon Peck, c. 1837

FAQ

Will this palette work in a small room?

Yes, if the sage stays on the main walls and the pale green is used on the ceiling or one wall. Keep the darkest tones to a few accents so the room does not feel closed in.

How much of each color should I use?

Follow the painting's proportions as a guide. The sage covers the largest share, the pale green is second, and the bronze, olive, near-black, and moss tones are used in smaller amounts.

Should I test samples before painting?

Yes. Paint a large sample on each wall and look at it in morning, midday, and evening light. The sage and pale green in particular change noticeably with the light in a room.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, 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.