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

Young Clergyman Reading Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Young Clergyman Reading by Martinus Rørbye, 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 Soft White on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Martinus Rørbye
Date: 1836
Movement: 19th-century Scandinavian painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 75

Young Clergyman Reading by Martinus Rørbye — Martinus Rørbye, *Young Clergyman Reading*, 1836. 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 Umber

#7F592F · 34.9% · LRV 12

Ink Umber

#4E371F · 31.1% · LRV 5

Warm Yellow

#AB8566 · 26.5% · LRV 26

Soft White

#DFE1E0 · 5.1% · LRV 75

Deep Red

#73311E · 1.4% · LRV 6

Warm Red

#AB5242 · 0.9% · LRV 15

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.

Young Clergyman Reading reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Umber `#7F592F`	Behr 270F-7 English Saddle Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9107 Über Umber Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar	12	Wood and frames
Ink Umber `#4E371F`	Behr 280F-7 Breakfast Blend Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Similar	5	One bold piece
Warm Yellow `#AB8566`	Behr MQ2-2 Syrup Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7725 Yearling Very close Valspar 3003-7B Leather Satchel Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	26	Bed, sofa, curtains
Soft White `#DFE1E0`	Behr 790A-2 Ancient Stone Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7656 Rhinestone Near-identical Valspar 7004-19 Silver Dust Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 2011 Blackened Very close	75	Main walls
Deep Red `#73311E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2839 Roycroft Copper Red Close Behr 230F-7 Florence Brown Similar Valspar 1011-4 Posh Red Similar	6	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Red `#AB5242`	Valspar 2011-5 Crimson Glow Near-identical Behr 220D-7 Mojave Sunset Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6629 Jalapeño Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Close	15	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 soft white 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#C7CCD0

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

South-facing room#E6E2D9

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)#C0B29E

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 Warm Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Soft White

Warm Yellow

Ink Umber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Young Clergyman Reading

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

Bathroom Color Schemes Bathroom

More palettes like this

The Net Mender (Garnbinderen) Christian Krohg, 1879

Maria Sheldon Scammon Anders Zorn, 1895

Study of Water and Plants Thomas Fearnley, 1837

FAQ

What colors are in Young Clergyman Reading?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Umber (#7F592F, 34.9% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#4E371F, 31.1% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#AB8566, 26.5% of the canvas), Soft White (#DFE1E0, 5.1% of the canvas), Deep Red (#73311E, 1.4% of the canvas), Warm Red (#AB5242, 0.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 75% of the light that hits it (LRV 75), 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.