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

The Young Virgin Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Young Virgin by Francisco de Zurbarán, 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 Linen on most walls, use Warm Red for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Soft Black to one bold piece. Shadow Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Linen works best in a single textile.

Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán
Date: ca. 1632–33
Movement: 17th-century Spanish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 84

The Young Virgin by Francisco de Zurbarán — Francisco de Zurbarán, *The Young Virgin*, ca. 1632–33. 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.

Soft Black

#322C25 · 43.3% · LRV 3

Shadow Umber

#50483B · 20.1% · LRV 7

Deep Black

#000000 · 15.8% · LRV 0

Warm Red

#97695B · 10% · LRV 17

Light Linen

#E1C7B7 · 9.5% · LRV 60

Pale Linen

#F5EDCF · 1.3% · LRV 85

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 Young Virgin 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 Shadow Umber is strongest — Shadow Umber

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

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

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

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

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 `#322C25`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 4011-2 Dark Kettle Black Similar	3	One bold piece
Shadow Umber `#50483B`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7055 Enduring Bronze Very close Behr N220-7 Cavalry Brown Very close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Close Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	7	Wood and frames
Deep Black `#000000`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Nearest available	0	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Red `#97695B`	Valspar 2005-7A Rio Grande Mud Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6053 Reddened Earth Very close Behr MQ1-61 Upper Eastside Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	17	Bed, sofa, curtains
Light Linen `#E1C7B7`	Behr S230-2 Mesquite Powder Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7712 Townhouse Tan Very close Valspar 2005-8B Resort Peach Very close	60	One small textile
Pale Linen `#F5EDCF`	Behr 360E-1 Creme Brulee Near-identical Valspar 6008-5A Desert Flower Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7561 Lemon Meringue Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2012 House White Very close	85	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 linen 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#D5D4C5

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

South-facing room#F7EBCB

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)#CCB994

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 Shadow Umber and the rug border takes Light Linen in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Linen

Warm Red

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

More palettes like this

Pietà Juan de Valdés Leal, ca. 1657–60

Don Gaspar de Guzmán (1587–1645), Count-Duke of Olivares Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, ca. 1636 or later

Kitchen Scene Diego Velázquez, 1618–20

FAQ

What colors are in The Young Virgin?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#322C25, 43.3% of the canvas), Shadow Umber (#50483B, 20.1% of the canvas), Deep Black (#000000, 15.8% of the canvas), Warm Red (#97695B, 10% of the canvas), Light Linen (#E1C7B7, 9.5% of the canvas), Pale Linen (#F5EDCF, 1.3% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 84% of the light that hits it (LRV 84), 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.