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

Moses Striking the Rock Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Moses Striking the Rock by Abraham Bloemaert, 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 Warm Red on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Abraham Bloemaert
Date: 1596
Movement: 16th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 66

Moses Striking the Rock by Abraham Bloemaert — Abraham Bloemaert, *Moses Striking the Rock*, 1596. 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 Umber

#3A332A · 41.9% · LRV 3

Soft Black

#201D19 · 24.5% · LRV 1

Warm Yellow

#928665 · 14.4% · LRV 24

Deep Umber

#62412F · 13.2% · LRV 7

Warm Red

#C1846E · 4.9% · LRV 29

Deep Red

#B3604C · 0.9% · LRV 19

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.

Moses Striking the Rock reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Deep Red is strongest — Deep 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 Umber `#3A332A`	Behr N210-7 Havana Coffee Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7675 Sealskin Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-1 Fired Earth Similar	3	One bold piece
Soft Black `#201D19`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Yellow `#928665`	Sherwin-Williams SW 14 Sheraton Sage Very close Behr 700D-5 Toffee Crunch Very close Valspar 6007-4C Mountain Olive Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	24	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#62412F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6090 Java Very close Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Very close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar	7	Wood and frames
Warm Red `#C1846E`	Behr QE-03 Clay Ground Very close Valspar 2003-7C Kitchen Terra Cotta Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9009 Subdued Sienna Close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Close	29	Main walls
Deep Red `#B3604C`	Valspar 2009-5 Fall Leaf Very close Behr 230D-6 Iced Tea Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 40 Roycroft Adobe Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Close	19	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.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#FFC8B0).

How the lightest tone 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#DCBCB1

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

South-facing room#FFCFB3

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)#D2A482

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 Deep Umber and the rug border takes Deep Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Red

Warm Yellow

Ink Umber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Moses Striking the Rock

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

Christ Healing the Blind El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), ca. 1570

Virgin and Child with Angels Bernard van Orley, ca. 1518

The Annunciation Peter Candid (Pieter de Witte, Pietro Candido), ca. 1585

FAQ

What colors are in Moses Striking the Rock?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#3A332A, 41.9% of the canvas), Soft Black (#201D19, 24.5% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#928665, 14.4% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#62412F, 13.2% of the canvas), Warm Red (#C1846E, 4.9% of the canvas), Deep Red (#B3604C, 0.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 66% of the light that hits it (LRV 66), 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.