Ship of Fools

Ship of Fools (1500–1509) by Hieronymus Bosch. Its palette is led by putty (#9c9474, 24%) and bistre (#2e2612, 23%), with accents of golden olive. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color reading

Brown covers nearly three-quarters of the canvas. Even its most colorful tone, golden olive #655E3D, stays close to gray.

Palette

#9c9474 MG 173 putty 24.3% of canvas
#2e2612 MG 219 bistre 22.6% of canvas
#655e3d MG 193 golden olive 20.7% of canvas
#d2c8b0 MG 171 bone 16.6% of canvas
#18120a MG 220 warm black 15.8% of canvas

Color families

Brown 73%, Black 21%, White 2%, Yellow 2%, Gray 2%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.49
Contrast: 0.66
Vividness: 0.034
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 184 cells
Hue range: 0.30
Focus: 0.00

Composition

56% of the visual weight is in the right half, 64% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.50 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 22% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 29% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1500–1509
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 58.0 × 32.5 cm
Genre: allegory
Collection: Department of Paintings of the Louvre

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More by Hieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1490–1510
The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, 1500
Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1501