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

Portrait of a Man Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Man by Pieter van Slingelandt, 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 Light Grey on most walls, use Muted Grey for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Soft Black to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Pieter van Slingelandt
Date: ca. 1680
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 51

Portrait of a Man by Pieter van Slingelandt — Pieter van Slingelandt, *Portrait of a Man*, ca. 1680. 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.

Muted Grey

#A7A39F · 35.8% · LRV 37

Soft Black

#1E1A17 · 30.5% · LRV 1

Light Grey

#C0BCB9 · 24.4% · LRV 51

Shadow Umber

#60574A · 5.1% · LRV 10

Deep Umber

#8A6047 · 2.5% · LRV 14

Light Yellow

#B5A57A · 1.8% · LRV 38

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

Detail of the painting where Muted Grey is strongest — Muted Grey

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

Detail of the painting where Light Grey is strongest — Light Grey

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

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

Detail of the painting where Light Yellow is strongest — Light 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
Muted Grey `#A7A39F`	Behr N180-4 Moleskin Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6003 Proper Gray Very close Valspar 4003-1C Rocky Bluffs Very close Farrow & Ball No. 265 Manor House Gray Very close	37	Bed, sofa, curtains
Soft Black `#1E1A17`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	1	One bold piece
Light Grey `#C0BCB9`	Behr HDC-WR15-3 Noble Gray Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6002 Essential Gray Very close Farrow & Ball No. 242 Pavilion Gray Close Valspar 4001-1B Winter Calm Close	51	Main walls
Shadow Umber `#60574A`	Valspar 6009-2 Harvest Brown Near-identical Behr QE-32 Treemoss Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7054 Suitable Brown Very close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	10	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#8A6047`	Behr MQ2-1 Burnished Brandy Very close Valspar 2008-7A Natural Cork Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6096 Jute Brown Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	14	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#B5A57A`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7733 Bamboo Shoot Near-identical Behr HDC-AC-16 Cumin Very close Valspar 3008-7C Desert Grass Close Farrow & Ball No. 75 Ball Green Similar	38	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 light grey 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#B3B4B6

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

South-facing room#CEC5BA

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)#AE9D87

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 Light Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Grey

Muted Grey

Soft Black

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

Nursery Paint Colors and Wall Color Schemes Nursery

More palettes like this

Portrait of an Old Woman Jacob Backer

Portrait of a Man Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), ca. 1655–60

A Musician and His Daughter Thomas de Keyser, 1629

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Man?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Muted Grey (#A7A39F, 35.8% of the canvas), Soft Black (#1E1A17, 30.5% of the canvas), Light Grey (#C0BCB9, 24.4% of the canvas), Shadow Umber (#60574A, 5.1% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#8A6047, 2.5% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#B5A57A, 1.8% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 51, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

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.