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

Portrait of a Woman Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Portrait of a Woman by Cornelis de Vos, 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 Ochre on most walls, use Soft Red for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Red to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Ink Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Cornelis de Vos
Movement: 17th-century Flemish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 64

Portrait of a Woman by Cornelis de Vos — Cornelis de Vos, *Portrait of a Woman*. 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.

Ink Violet

#1E1B2E · 37.6% · LRV 1

Deep Umber

#573439 · 22.3% · LRV 5

Deep Red

#901830 · 13.2% · LRV 7

Ink Red

#610F32 · 11.7% · LRV 3

Light Ochre

#EECAB1 · 9.7% · LRV 64

Soft Red

#914939 · 5.5% · LRV 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Soft Red is strongest — Soft 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
Ink Violet `#1E1B2E`	Behr BXC-09 Dark Burgundy Wine Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#573439`	Behr S-G-720 Fireside Very close Farrow & Ball No. 222 Brinjal Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2704 Merlot Close Valspar 1011-6 Ancient Burgundy Close	5	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Red `#901830`	Behr S-G-150 Ruby Ring Very close Valspar 1011-3 Quite Red Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6861 Radish Similar Farrow & Ball No. 217 Rectory Red Similar	7	One bold piece
Ink Red `#610F32`	Behr S-H-140 Cinnamon Cherry Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6300 Burgundy Similar Valspar 1010-7 Berry Brown Similar	3	One small textile
Light Ochre `#EECAB1`	Valspar 2004-6B Special Peach Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6351 Sweet Orange Very close Behr MQ3-39 Sweet Pastel Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Close	64	Main walls
Soft Red `#914939`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7598 Sierra Redwood Very close Behr MQ1-24 Smokin Hot Very close Valspar 2011-7 Russet Red Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	11	Bed, sofa, curtains

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 ochre 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#D1BEB2

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

South-facing room#F2D0B4

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)#C9A583

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 a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Ink Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Ochre

Soft Red

Deep Red

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

Maroon Color Bedroom: Burgundy Shades and What to Pair Them With Burgundy · Bedroom

Bathroom Color Schemes Bathroom

Classic Bedroom Colors Traditional style

More palettes like this

A Bouquet of Flowers Clara Peeters, ca. 1612

Peasants Dancing and Feasting David Teniers the Younger, ca. 1660

Robert Rich (1587–1658), Second Earl of Warwick Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1632–35

FAQ

What colors are in Portrait of a Woman?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Violet (#1E1B2E, 37.6% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#573439, 22.3% of the canvas), Deep Red (#901830, 13.2% of the canvas), Ink Red (#610F32, 11.7% of the canvas), Light Ochre (#EECAB1, 9.7% of the canvas), Soft Red (#914939, 5.5% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 64% of the light that hits it (LRV 64), 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.