16th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

The Adoration of the Shepherds Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Adoration of the Shepherds by L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti), 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 Olive to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti)
Date: late 1520s
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 70

The Adoration of the Shepherds by L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti) — L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti), *The Adoration of the Shepherds*, late 1520s. 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 Green

#272F26 · 29.7% · LRV 3

Deep Olive

#6B6732 · 21.5% · LRV 13

Deep Green

#56592F · 17.7% · LRV 9

Pale Yellow

#F0D6B7 · 17.5% · LRV 70

Warm Yellow

#BD9C59 · 8.6% · LRV 35

Warm Red

#B14F37 · 5% · LRV 15

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 Adoration of the Shepherds reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest — Warm 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
Ink Green `#272F26`	Behr S-H-780 Thorny Branch Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6216 Jasper Close Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Olive `#6B6732`	Behr 350F-7 Wild Mushroom Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6419 Saguaro Close Valspar 6005-4C Summer's End Similar Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	13	One bold piece
Deep Green `#56592F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6426 Basque Green Close Behr N340-7 Kilimanjaro Close Valspar 6005-4C Summer's End Similar Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar	9	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale Yellow `#F0D6B7`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6365 Cachet Cream Near-identical Behr S270-2 Chai Near-identical Valspar 3002-8B Bread Basket Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2013 Matchstick Close	70	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#BD9C59`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6403 Escapade Gold Very close Valspar 3009-4 Bamboo Leaves Very close Behr 310F-5 Donegal Tweed Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Close	35	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Red `#B14F37`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6622 Hearty Orange Very close Behr M200-7 Rusty Gate Very close Valspar 2011-5 Crimson Glow Close Farrow & Ball No. 212 Blazer Similar	15	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#D2C5B5

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

South-facing room#F3DAB9

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)#CAAB86

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 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 Olive

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Adoration of the Shepherds

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

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FAQ

What colors are in The Adoration of the Shepherds?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Green (#272F26, 29.7% of the canvas), Deep Olive (#6B6732, 21.5% of the canvas), Deep Green (#56592F, 17.7% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#F0D6B7, 17.5% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#BD9C59, 8.6% of the canvas), Warm Red (#B14F37, 5% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 70% of the light that hits it (LRV 70), 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.