A Mayor of Delft and his Daughter

A Mayor of Delft and his Daughter (1655) by Jan Steen. Its palette is led by bistre (#30271a, 37%) and dark grey (#6f6c65, 24%), with accents of oatmeal. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, muted and warm.

Color reading

Brown and black cover about four-fifths of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, umber #615645, stays close to gray.

Palette

#30271a MG 219 bistre 36.9% of canvas
#6f6c65 MG 216 dark grey 24.3% of canvas
#615645 MG 184 umber 20.6% of canvas
#17140f MG 223 soot 14.5% of canvas
#b8b1a1 MG 172 oatmeal 3.7% of canvas

Color families

Brown 48%, Black 30%, Gray 17%, Blue 5%, Green 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.39
Contrast: 0.44
Vividness: 0.024
Warmth: +0.73
Complexity: 187 cells
Hue range: 0.45
Focus: 0.01

Composition

54% of the visual weight is in the right half, 58% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.49 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 26% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 30% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1655
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 82.5 × 68.7 cm
Genre: portrait
Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Download the pin · Save to Pinterest

More by Jan Steen

The Feast of Saint Nicholas, c. 1665
The Happy Family, 1668