17th-century Dutch painting · art-to-room palette

Portrait of a Woman Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built on near-black and deep charcoal, with a pale cream and two warm skin-toned clays softening it. It suits rooms that want depth and warmth without going fully dark.

Quick answer

Use the pale cream #DEDBCC on the walls, the soft peach #DEBBA0 for main surfaces such as upholstery or large fabric, the mid clay #AE8C75 as an accent, and the dark stone gray #51504B for textiles. Keep the near-blacks for the deepest details, like trim, a door, or a frame.

Artist: Jan van Ravesteyn
Date: 1635
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

Portrait of a Woman by Jan van Ravesteyn — Jan van Ravesteyn, *Portrait of a Woman*, 1635. 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 ink

#232323 · 35.9% · LRV 2

Deep charcoal gray

#2E2E2A · 27% · LRV 3

Dark stone gray

#51504B · 18.6% · LRV 8

Pale warm cream

#DEDBCC · 10.1% · LRV 71

Mid muted clay

#AE8C75 · 6% · LRV 29

Soft peach sand

#DEBBA0 · 2.3% · LRV 54

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 a Woman reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Deep charcoal gray is strongest — Deep charcoal gray

Detail of the painting where Dark stone gray is strongest — Dark stone gray

Detail of the painting where Pale warm cream is strongest — Pale warm cream

Detail of the painting where Mid muted clay is strongest — Mid muted clay

Detail of the painting where Soft peach sand is strongest — Soft peach sand

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 ink `#232323`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Close Behr N510-7 Blackout Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep charcoal gray `#2E2E2A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Close Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Close Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Close Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark stone gray `#51504B`	Behr N200-7 Underground Very close Valspar 6011-4 Dark Oasis Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7048 Urbane Bronze Very close Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Close	8	One small textile
Pale warm cream `#DEDBCC`	Valspar 6003-1A September Fog Near-identical Behr 720C-2 Chocolate Froth Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7011 Natural Choice Very close Farrow & Ball No. 282 Shadow White Very close	71	Main walls
Mid muted clay `#AE8C75`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2804 Renwick Rose Beige Very close Behr BXC-46 Mojave Dusk Close Valspar 2004-7C Coffee Gelato Close Farrow & Ball No. 28 Dead Salmon Similar	29	One bold piece
Soft peach sand `#DEBBA0`	Behr HDC-CT-04 Chic Peach Near-identical Valspar 2005-6A Antelope Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7704 Tower Tan Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Close	54	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 warm cream 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#C7C9C3

In north light the cream wall (LRV 71) will look cooler and a little grayer. It still reads light and bright, so it works well as a backdrop in a north-facing room.

South-facing room#E5DDC9

Strong south light makes the cream wall look brightest and most open, and the peach and clay tones will look warmer. Expect the room to feel sunny through the day.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0AF92

Under warm evening bulbs the cream wall picks up its yellow undertone and looks softer. The peach and clay tones will glow, and the darkest colors will feel rich and close.

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 Dark stone gray in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale warm cream

Soft peach sand

Mid muted clay

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

Navy Blue Front Door Colors for Four Complete Exteriors Front door · Navy

More palettes like this

Petronella Elias (1648–1667) with a Basket of Fruit Ferdinand Bol, 1657

Portrait of a Woman Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), 1633

The Musician Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1662

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the darkest colors from this palette?

You can, but the two near-blacks (LRV 2 and 3) absorb most of the light. Use them on one wall, a door, or trim, and keep the rest of the room in the lighter tones so it does not feel closed in.

Which wall should get the pale cream?

Use #DEDBCC on the main walls, where it does the most work. Its LRV of 71 means it will bounce light around the room, which helps balance the deeper colors.

How do I use the peach and clay tones together?

Pair the soft peach #DEBBA0 as the main surface with the mid clay #AE8C75 as a smaller accent, such as a cushion, rug, or piece of art. Both share a warm red-orange undertone, so they sit well together.

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.