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

The Entombment Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Moretto da Brescia's The Entombment, 1554. It is dark and earthy, with a pale sand and a red-orange accent, and it suits a study or a bedroom with a moody feel.

Quick answer

Paint the walls #D2C5AA, use #B99D65 for main pieces, brown #765534 for wood, #433024 for textiles and the red-orange #BD5B43 for accents.

Artist: Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino)
Date: 1554
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 57

The Entombment by Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino) — Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino), *The Entombment*, 1554. 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.

Black Umber

#29211C · 36.6% · LRV 2

Dark Cocoa

#433024 · 30.5% · LRV 3

Saddle Brown

#765534 · 16.1% · LRV 11

Light Sand

#D2C5AA · 10.2% · LRV 57

Brick Terracotta

#BD5B43 · 3.7% · LRV 19

Muted Gold

#B99D65 · 2.9% · LRV 35

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 Entombment reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Dark Cocoa is strongest — Dark Cocoa

Detail of the painting where Saddle Brown is strongest — Saddle Brown

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

Detail of the painting where Brick Terracotta is strongest — Brick Terracotta

Detail of the painting where Muted Gold is strongest — Muted Gold

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
Black Umber `#29211C`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Cocoa `#433024`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6076 Turkish Coffee Close Behr S-G-760 Chocolate Coco Close Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar	3	One small textile
Saddle Brown `#765534`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9107 Über Umber Very close Behr MQ2-9 Clockworks Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	11	Wood and frames
Light Sand `#D2C5AA`	Valspar 3007-10B Country Charm Very close Behr PPU9-12 Prairie House Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7529 Sand Beach Very close Farrow & Ball No. 4 Old White Very close	57	Main walls
Brick Terracotta `#BD5B43`	Behr HDC-FL14-3 Fall Foliage Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6621 Emotional Very close Valspar 2010-5 Orange Maple Very close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	19	One bold piece
Muted Gold `#B99D65`	Behr N280-5 Antique Treasure Very close Valspar 3009-4 Bamboo Leaves Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6409 Edgy Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	35	Bed, sofa, curtains

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 light sand 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#BEBAAD

In north light the light sand #D2C5AA at LRV 57 stays warm and soft, so it keeps the dark pieces from feeling heavy.

South-facing room#DCCCAF

In strong south light the sand brightens and looks more yellow, and the terracotta #BD5B43 looks stronger.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B9A27F

Under warm evening bulbs the dark browns merge into a rich shadow and the terracotta glows.

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 Saddle Brown and the rug border takes Dark Cocoa in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Sand

Muted Gold

Brick Terracotta

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

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Portrait of a Woman Italian (Florentine) Painter (possibly Jacopo Zucchi, Florence 1541–1590 Rome), mid-16th century

FAQ

Is the dark brown too heavy for walls?

#29211C has an LRV of 2, so it absorbs nearly all light. It is better used in furniture, frames or one accent wall.

How much terracotta should I use?

The terracotta #BD5B43 covers only 3.7 percent of the painting. One cushion, a vase or a door is enough.

What wall color suits this palette best?

The light sand #D2C5AA is the only light tone and is the natural wall color.

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.