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

Portrait of a Girl Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Girl by Francesco Solimena, 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 Light Ochre for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Shadow Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Ochre works best in a single textile.

Artist: Francesco Solimena
Date: c. 1700
Movement: 17th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 77

Portrait of a Girl by Francesco Solimena — Francesco Solimena, *Portrait of a Girl*, c. 1700. 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.

Shadow Umber

#4C3C34 · 51.3% · LRV 5

Deep Umber

#674D37 · 18.4% · LRV 9

Warm Ochre

#98745D · 12.4% · LRV 20

Light Ochre

#C6A084 · 9.7% · LRV 39

Light Linen

#D9C5AC · 4.9% · LRV 58

Pale Yellow

#FFDDBA · 3.3% · LRV 77

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

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 Warm Ochre is strongest — Warm Ochre

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

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

Detail of the painting where Pale Yellow is strongest — Pale 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
Shadow Umber `#4C3C34`	Behr 760B-7 Revival Mahogany Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6076 Turkish Coffee Very close Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Close Valspar 4002-2C Black Raisin Similar	5	One bold piece
Deep Umber `#674D37`	Behr N250-7 Mission Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6104 Kaffee Very close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	9	Wood and frames
Warm Ochre `#98745D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6095 Toasty Very close Behr UL140-21 Toffee Bar Very close Valspar 3002-7A Chestnut Beach Close Farrow & Ball No. 295 Sulking Room Pink Similar	20	One small textile
Light Ochre `#C6A084`	Behr S230-4 Granola Near-identical Valspar 2004-8A Vienna Beige Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 10 Wickerwork Very close Farrow & Ball No. 28 Dead Salmon Similar	39	Bed, sofa, curtains
Light Linen `#D9C5AC`	Behr BXC-77 Riviera Retreat Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9101 Tres Naturale Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 213 Savage Ground Very close Valspar 3004-10B Holmes Cream Very close	58	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale Yellow `#FFDDBA`	Behr 290B-4 Feather Plume Very close Valspar 2007-4B Champagne Orange Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6638 Flattering Peach Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Similar	77	Main walls

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#DCC9B7

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

South-facing room#FFDFBB

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)#D2B088

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 Ochre in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Light Ochre

Shadow 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

North Facing Dining Room Colors That Warm Up Cool Light North-facing · Dining room

More palettes like this

Jacopo Butera Francesco Solimena, c. 1695

Nuns at Work Alessandro Magnasco

Charity Carlo Cignani, ca. 1680

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Girl?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Shadow Umber (#4C3C34, 51.3% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#674D37, 18.4% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#98745D, 12.4% of the canvas), Light Ochre (#C6A084, 9.7% of the canvas), Light Linen (#D9C5AC, 4.9% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#FFDDBA, 3.3% 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 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.