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

Woman and Child at the Well Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Camille Pissarro's 1882 painting Woman and Child at the Well, held by The Art Institute of Chicago. Most of the canvas is deep green, with warm clay and soft olive tones, so the scheme suits rooms that want a calm, earthy feel.

Quick answer

Use the pale stone on the walls so the room stays light. Bring in the wheat ochre on one large piece such as a sofa or cabinet, add the clay as an accent on pillows or a door, and use the soft olive on a rug or curtains.

Artist: Camille Pissarro
Date: 1882
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

Woman and Child at the Well by Camille Pissarro — Camille Pissarro, *Woman and Child at the Well*, 1882. 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.

Deep mossy green

#556859 · 37% · LRV 13

Muted terracotta clay

#B78D6E · 24.3% · LRV 30

Soft olive green

#91A066 · 12.3% · LRV 32

Deep spruce green

#5A7353 · 11.6% · LRV 15

Pale celadon stone

#DBDCD4 · 11% · LRV 71

Warm wheat ochre

#BBB66D · 3.7% · LRV 45

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.

Woman and Child at the Well reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Deep mossy green is strongest — Deep mossy green

Detail of the painting where Muted terracotta clay is strongest — Muted terracotta clay

Detail of the painting where Soft olive green is strongest — Soft olive green

Detail of the painting where Deep spruce green is strongest — Deep spruce green

Detail of the painting where Pale celadon stone is strongest — Pale celadon stone

Detail of the painting where Warm wheat ochre is strongest — Warm wheat 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
Deep mossy green `#556859`	Valspar 5005-6C Billiard Room Very close Behr N380-6 Bonsai Trunk Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6460 Kale Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 289 Inchyra Blue Similar	13	Small accents, art, accessories
Muted terracotta clay `#B78D6E`	Behr S230-5 Sugar Maple Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7718 Oak Creek Very close Valspar 2008-7C Café Miel Very close Farrow & Ball No. 28 Dead Salmon Similar	30	One bold piece
Soft olive green `#91A066`	Behr HDC-MD-15 Zesty Apple Very close Valspar 6004-6B Emerald Isle Very close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9038 Cucuzza Verde Close	32	One small textile
Deep spruce green `#5A7353`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6453 Cilantro Very close Behr MQ6-48 Hummingbird Green Very close Valspar 6009-8 Lime Twist Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	15	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale celadon stone `#DBDCD4`	Valspar 5007-1B Stony Path Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6196 Frosty White Near-identical Behr N200-1 Moth Gray Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder Very close	71	Main walls
Warm wheat ochre `#BBB66D`	Valspar 6007-6A New Avocado Very close Behr M330-5 Fresh Brew Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6711 Parakeet Close Farrow & Ball No. 251 Churlish Green Close	45	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.

How pale celadon stone 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#C5C9C8

North light is cooler and softer, so the pale stone wall can read a little grey. Keep the warm wheat and clay pieces nearby to balance it.

South-facing room#E3DECF

Strong south light brings out the warmth in the stone and makes the wall look brighter. The clay and olive tones will look more saturated in this light.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#BEAF96

Warm evening bulbs push the pale stone toward a yellower tone. The deep greens will look richer and the room will feel more enclosed.

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 Soft olive green in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale celadon stone

Warm wheat ochre

Muted terracotta clay

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Woman and Child at the Well

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

Gray Green Color: Shades for Interior Walls, Light to Dark Green-grey

Brown Roof House Colors: Four Exterior Schemes That Work Brown roof

More palettes like this

View of Saleve, near Geneva Théodore Rousseau, 1834

Lion Hunt Eugène Delacroix, 1860–61

The Child's Bath Mary Cassatt, 1893

FAQ

Can I use the deep greens on a whole wall?

The two deep greens have light reflectance values of 13 and 15, so they read very dark. They work best on one wall, a cabinet, or a door in a room with good daylight. In a small or dim room, use them in smaller amounts.

Which color works best in a small room?

The pale celadon stone, with a light reflectance value of 71, is the lightest color here and bounces the most light. Use it on the walls to make a small room feel open.

How do I stop the scheme from looking flat?

Use the clay accent in a few small places, such as pillows or a vase. Its warm red-orange undertone against the greens adds contrast without taking over the 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.