16th-century painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of an Artist or Scholar Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of an Artist or Scholar by Mughal, 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 Deep Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Soft Green to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Ochre works best in a single textile.

Artist: Mughal
Date: 17th century
Movement: 16th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 69

Portrait of an Artist or Scholar by Mughal — Mughal, *Portrait of an Artist or Scholar*, 17th century. 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.

Pale Yellow

#E5D8B1 · 44.9% · LRV 69

Light Yellow

#E1D3A7 · 19.2% · LRV 65

Deep Yellow

#D5B76E · 17.9% · LRV 49

Soft Yellow

#CFAE5C · 9.8% · LRV 44

Soft Green

#8A944B · 6.6% · LRV 27

Warm Ochre

#C36738 · 1.5% · LRV 22

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.

Portrait of an Artist or Scholar reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
Pale Yellow `#E5D8B1`	Behr MQ3-42 Honey Mist Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6414 Rice Paddy Very close Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound Very close Valspar 3008-8B Ancient Scroll Very close	69	Main walls
Light Yellow `#E1D3A7`	Behr MQ3-42 Honey Mist Very close Valspar 3008-8B Ancient Scroll Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6407 Ancestral Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound Close	65	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Yellow `#D5B76E`	Behr M300-4 Gilded Near-identical Valspar 3008-5B Dylan Velvet Very close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6401 Independent Gold Close	49	Bed, sofa, curtains
Soft Yellow `#CFAE5C`	Behr 340F-5 Beachwalk Very close Valspar 3008-5B Dylan Velvet Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6697 Nugget Close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Close	44	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Green `#8A944B`	Behr 390F-6 Tate Olive Very close Valspar 6011-9 Shallow Valley Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6712 Luau Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Similar	27	One bold piece
Warm Ochre `#C36738`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6635 Determined Orange Near-identical Valspar 2011-2 Dark Palomino Very close Behr 260D-6 Chai Spice Very close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	22	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#CBC6B2

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

South-facing room#EBDBB4

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)#C4AD83

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Warm Ochre in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Deep Yellow

Soft Green

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Portrait of an Artist or Scholar

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

North Facing Hallway Colors for Cool, Dim Light North-facing · Hallway

Warm Kitchen Color Schemes: Cream, Sand and Gold Walls Warm · Kitchen

Calming Colors for Living Room Walls: Soft Yellow, Blue and Green Calming · Living room

More palettes like this

Portrait of a Man Corneille de Lyon, ca. 1540–50

Portrait of Emperor Jahangir Mughal, c. 1800

Saint Martin and the Beggar Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco, c. 1597–c. 1600

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of an Artist or Scholar?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Pale Yellow (#E5D8B1, 44.9% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#E1D3A7, 19.2% of the canvas), Deep Yellow (#D5B76E, 17.9% of the canvas), Soft Yellow (#CFAE5C, 9.8% of the canvas), Soft Green (#8A944B, 6.6% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#C36738, 1.5% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 69% of the light that hits it (LRV 69), 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 Art Institute of Chicago releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

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.