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

John Philip Kemble Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from John Philip Kemble by Martin Archer Shee, 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 Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Martin Archer Shee
Date: c. 1795
Movement: 18th-century painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 76

John Philip Kemble by Martin Archer Shee — Martin Archer Shee, *John Philip Kemble*, c. 1795. 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.

Soft Black

#10110B · 45% · LRV 1

Ink Umber

#363019 · 39.8% · LRV 3

Warm Yellow

#BF9160 · 7.6% · LRV 32

Deep Umber

#583219 · 4% · LRV 4

Pale Yellow

#FFDF9A · 2.7% · LRV 76

Deep Red

#7C2F1A · 0.9% · LRV 6

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.

John Philip Kemble 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 Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Deep Red is strongest — Deep 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
Soft Black `#10110B`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Nearest available	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Umber `#363019`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Similar	3	One bold piece
Warm Yellow `#BF9160`	Valspar 3003-7C Corner Café Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6390 Bosc Pear Very close Behr MQ4-7 Radiance Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	32	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#583219`	Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Similar	4	Wood and frames
Pale Yellow `#FFDF9A`	Valspar 3001-2B Toasted Wheat Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9016 La Luna Amarilla Very close Behr 310A-3 Manila Tint Very close Farrow & Ball No. 233 Dayroom Yellow Close	76	Main walls
Deep Red `#7C2F1A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2839 Roycroft Copper Red Close Behr 230D-7 Cinnamon Brandy Similar Valspar 1010-3 Heirloom Red Similar	6	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#DCCAA3

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

South-facing room#FFE1A2

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)#D2B176

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 Deep Red 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

Ink Umber

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

Office Paint Colors for a Home Office Home office

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FAQ

What colors are in John Philip Kemble?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#10110B, 45% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#363019, 39.8% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#BF9160, 7.6% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#583219, 4% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#FFDF9A, 2.7% of the canvas), Deep Red (#7C2F1A, 0.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 76% of the light that hits it (LRV 76), 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.