18th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

The Swing Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Swing by Hubert Robert, 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 Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Linen to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Teal works best in a single textile.

Artist: Hubert Robert
Date: 1777–79
Movement: 18th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 77

The Swing by Hubert Robert — Hubert Robert, *The Swing*, 1777–79. 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.

Soft Black

#2E2F29 · 33.3% · LRV 3

Deep Umber

#65523E · 23.5% · LRV 9

Warm Linen

#8D886F · 18.2% · LRV 24

Soft Teal

#547271 · 9.1% · LRV 15

Pale Yellow

#F7E0C0 · 8.5% · LRV 77

Warm Yellow

#B59B73 · 7.4% · LRV 35

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Black `#2E2F29`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Close Behr S-H-790 Black Suede Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#65523E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7545 Pier Very close Behr 250F-7 Melted Chocolate Very close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	Wood and frames
Warm Linen `#8D886F`	Behr PPU8-21 Mossy Bank Very close Valspar 6005-4B Ripe Olives Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 14 Sheraton Sage Close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Close	24	One bold piece
Soft Teal `#547271`	Valspar 5003-6C Shady Palm Very close Behr PPU12-02 Sequoia Lake Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2810 Rookwood Sash Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 289 Inchyra Blue Similar	15	One small textile
Pale Yellow `#F7E0C0`	Valspar 2008-4C Almond Whip Near-identical Behr QE-18 Moonglow Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6379 Jersey Cream Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close	77	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#B59B73`	Valspar 3006-7C Timeless Gold Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9025 Coriander Powder Very close Behr N250-4 Artisan Crafts Very close Farrow & Ball No. 6 London Stone Similar	35	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 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#D6CBBB

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

South-facing room#F9E1C0

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)#CEB18B

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 Deep Umber and the rug border takes Soft Teal in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Warm Yellow

Warm Linen

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

Farmhouse Exterior Colors: Four Palettes for Siding, Trim and Door House exterior · Farmhouse

More palettes like this

Troops on the March Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater, ca. 1725

The Fountain Hubert Robert, 1777–79

The Interrupted Sleep François Boucher, 1750

FAQ

What colors are in The Swing?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#2E2F29, 33.3% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#65523E, 23.5% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#8D886F, 18.2% of the canvas), Soft Teal (#547271, 9.1% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#F7E0C0, 8.5% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#B59B73, 7.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 77% of the light that hits it (LRV 77), 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 Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

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.