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

The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 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 Deep Umber to one bold piece. Soft Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Red works best in a single textile.

Date
ca. 1751–52
Collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license
Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV
69
The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia, ca. 1751–52. 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.

Deep Umber
#5E4B36 · 36% · LRV 8
Warm Yellow
#BA9F83 · 26.3% · LRV 37
Soft Umber
#846345 · 20.9% · LRV 14
Pale Yellow
#F1D4B3 · 9.5% · LRV 69
Deep Yellow
#B38960 · 5.6% · LRV 28
Warm Red
#C4715F · 1.7% · LRV 24

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 Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia 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 Warm Yellow is strongest
Warm Yellow
Detail of the painting where Soft Umber is strongest
Soft Umber
Detail of the painting where Pale Yellow is strongest
Pale Yellow
Detail of the painting where Deep Yellow is strongest
Deep Yellow
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
#5E4B36
  • Behr N230-7 Rustic Tobacco Very close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 7034 Status Bronze Very close
  • Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar
  • Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar
8 One bold piece
Warm Yellow
#BA9F83
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 6108 Latte Near-identical
  • Valspar 3002-9C Doe Eyes Near-identical
  • Behr HDC-AC-12 Craft Brown Very close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 6 London Stone Close
37 Bed, sofa, curtains
Soft Umber
#846345
  • Behr MQ2-10 Burnt Caramel Near-identical
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 9098 Baked Cookie Very close
  • Valspar 3004-9A Muddy Mississippi Close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar
14 Wood and frames
Pale Yellow
#F1D4B3
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 7721 Crescent Cream Near-identical
  • Behr S270-2 Chai Near-identical
  • Valspar 3002-8B Bread Basket Very close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close
69 Main walls
Deep Yellow
#B38960
  • Valspar 3003-7C Corner Café Very close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 6116 Tatami Tan Very close
  • Behr S260-5 Almond Roca Very close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar
28 Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Red
#C4715F
  • Behr MQ4-33 Aloe Blossom Very close
  • Valspar 2003-5B Florentine Clay Close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 9006 Rojo Dust Close
24 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#D3C4B2

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

South-facing room#F4D8B6

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)#CAAB84

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 Soft 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.

Pale Yellow
Warm Yellow
Deep Umber
Linen
Oiled oak
Lime plaster
Aged brass
Palette card for The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia

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

More palettes like this

FAQ

What colors are in The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Umber (#5E4B36, 36% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#BA9F83, 26.3% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#846345, 20.9% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#F1D4B3, 9.5% of the canvas), Deep Yellow (#B38960, 5.6% of the canvas), Warm Red (#C4715F, 1.7% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 69% of the light that hits it (LRV 69), 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.