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

Waterfall at Mont-Dore Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Achille-Etna Michallon's 1818 oil painting "Waterfall at Mont-Dore," held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It runs from near-black olive to a pale slate blue, with mossy greens and warm browns in between. It suits rooms that want a quiet, earthy base with one cool, light wall.

Quick answer

Use the pale blue #C5DAE6 on the walls. Use the dusty olive #A29E6E for large furnishings or upholstery, the deep olive #4B4B32 for textiles, the walnut brown #4A3E2C for wood, and the near-black #2B2C1F for small accents like frames or a door.

Artist: Achille-Etna Michallon
Date: 1818
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Waterfall at Mont-Dore by Achille-Etna Michallon — Achille-Etna Michallon, *Waterfall at Mont-Dore*, 1818. 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.

Near-black olive

#2B2C1F · 36.4% · LRV 2

Dark walnut brown

#4A3E2C · 30.4% · LRV 5

Deep olive drab

#4B4B32 · 14.5% · LRV 7

Muted khaki grey

#6C6856 · 11.4% · LRV 14

Dusty olive gold

#A29E6E · 4.6% · LRV 33

Pale slate blue

#A2BCCA · 2.8% · LRV 48

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.

Waterfall at Mont-Dore reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Near-black olive is strongest — Near-black olive

Detail of the painting where Dark walnut brown is strongest — Dark walnut brown

Detail of the painting where Deep olive drab is strongest — Deep olive drab

Detail of the painting where Muted khaki grey is strongest — Muted khaki grey

Detail of the painting where Dusty olive gold is strongest — Dusty olive gold

Detail of the painting where Pale slate blue is strongest — Pale slate blue

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
Near-black olive `#2B2C1F`	Behr S-H-780 Thorny Branch Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	One bold piece
Dark walnut brown `#4A3E2C`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	5	Wood and frames
Deep olive drab `#4B4B32`	Behr S-H-730 Eagle Rock Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6181 Secret Garden Close Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Similar	7	One small textile
Muted khaki grey `#6C6856`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6166 Eclipse Near-identical Valspar 6006-4C City Arboretum Very close Behr PPU8-25 Ivy Topiary Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	14	Small accents, art, accessories
Dusty olive gold `#A29E6E`	Valspar 6006-6A Throw Rug Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7726 Lemon Verbena Close Behr PPU9-04 Fresh Olive Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Similar	33	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale slate blue `#A2BCCA`	Valspar 4007-5C Memorybook Blue Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9146 Faded Flaxflower Very close Farrow & Ball No. 89 Lulworth Blue Close Behr MQ5-50 Opal Waters Close	48	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.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#C5DAE6).

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#B6C8D4

In north light the wall looks cooler and a little greyer, so the blue stays soft and calm. It works well in rooms that get indirect daylight.

South-facing room#D2DDDD

In strong south light the wall brightens and the blue reads clearer and more airy. Expect it to look lighter than it does in a dim room.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B1AEA1

Under warm evening bulbs the wall shifts toward grey-green and the blue loses some of its clarity. Test the color at night before you commit.

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 Dark walnut brown and the rug border takes Deep olive drab in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale slate blue

Dusty olive gold

Near-black olive

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

Classic Bedroom Colors Traditional style

Dark Green Bathroom Paint: Forest Shades from Museum Paintings Dark green · Bathroom

More palettes like this

The First Communion Eugène Carrière, ca. 1896

Madame Jacques-Louis Leblanc (Françoise Poncelle, 1788–1839) Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1823

Roses and Lilies Henri Fantin-Latour, 1888

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the darkest colors?

The two darkest tones reflect very little light, with light reflectance values of 2 and 5. They work best on trim, doors, cabinets, or one feature wall. Using them everywhere can make a small room feel closed in.

Should I test the colors before painting?

Yes. Paint a large swatch on the actual wall and look at it in morning light, midday, and evening. The same color can change a lot across the day.

Are these exact paint matches?

No. The paint names on this page are the closest commercial matches measured from these colors. Compare a sample against the painting or your fabric before buying.

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.