15th-century painting · art-to-room palette

The Adoration of the Magi Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Hieronymus Bosch's The Adoration of the Magi, painted around 1475 in oil and gold on oak. It moves from a pale warm oatmeal through tans and ochres to deep olive and brick red, so it suits rooms that want earthy warmth with one strong contrast.

Quick answer

Use the pale oatmeal on walls and the warm tan on large furniture or a feature area. Add the deep olive as an accent on one wall or a few pieces, and bring in the soft ochre gold through pillows, curtains, or throws.

Artist: Hieronymus Bosch
Date: ca. 1475
Movement: 15th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

The Adoration of the Magi by Hieronymus Bosch — Hieronymus Bosch, *The Adoration of the Magi*, ca. 1475. 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.

Warm Honey Tan

#A1896B · 38% · LRV 27

Deep Olive Green

#2E381D · 28.5% · LRV 4

Muted Sage Olive

#8D8B61 · 14.8% · LRV 25

Warm Pale Oatmeal

#E3DBC7 · 8.9% · LRV 71

Deep Brick Red

#853C33 · 5.3% · LRV 9

Soft Ochre Gold

#C8985B · 4.5% · LRV 36

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Honey Tan is strongest — Warm Honey Tan

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

Detail of the painting where Muted Sage Olive is strongest — Muted Sage Olive

Detail of the painting where Warm Pale Oatmeal is strongest — Warm Pale Oatmeal

Detail of the painting where Deep Brick Red is strongest — Deep Brick Red

Detail of the painting where Soft Ochre Gold is strongest — Soft Ochre 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
Warm Honey Tan `#A1896B`	Behr HDC-NT-28 Soft Bronze Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9113 Mudslide Very close Valspar 3006-9B Prairie Path Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Close	27	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Olive Green `#2E381D`	Behr S-H-760 Olive Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 2847 Roycroft Bottle Green Similar	4	One bold piece
Muted Sage Olive `#8D8B61`	Behr 710D-5 Mississippi Mud Very close Valspar 6004-4B Bullfrog Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6424 Tansy Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Similar	25	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Pale Oatmeal `#E3DBC7`	Valspar 7003-2 Unforgettable Near-identical Behr MQ3-17 Chartreuse Frost Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7564 Polar Bear Very close Farrow & Ball No. 1 Lime White Very close	71	Main walls
Deep Brick Red `#853C33`	Behr S180-7 True Copper Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6335 Fired Brick Very close Valspar 1010-3 Heirloom Red Close Farrow & Ball No. 248 Incarnadine Similar	9	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Ochre Gold `#C8985B`	Behr UL150-2 Hammered Gold Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6389 Butternut Very close Valspar 3004-5A Poseidon's Gold Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Close	36	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 warm pale oatmeal 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#C9C9BF

North light is cooler and softer, so the pale oatmeal can look a little greyer. Its LRV of 71 still bounces light well, which helps a north-facing room feel open.

South-facing room#E9DDC5

Strong south light brings out the warm yellow in the oatmeal, so it reads as cream and bright. The warm tan may look richer, and the deep olive will stay grounded without going black.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C2AF90

Warm evening bulbs deepen the warm yellow undertones in the oatmeal, tan, and ochre. The room feels cozy, and the deep olive and brick red look especially rich.

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 Soft Ochre Gold in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Pale Oatmeal

Warm Honey Tan

Deep Olive Green

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Adoration of the Magi

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

Guides that use colors from this painting

Red House Color Schemes for Exterior Paint House exterior · Red

Brown Exterior Paint: Four Complete House Color Schemes House exterior · Brown

More palettes like this

Virgin and Child in an Apse Robert Campin

Virgin and Child Hans Memling

Francesco d'Este (born ca. 1429, died after 1486) Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1460

FAQ

Can I use the deep olive green on all the walls of a small room?

This color has an LRV of 3, so it reads very dark. In a small room it can feel closed in. Use it on one wall or on cabinetry, and keep the pale oatmeal, with an LRV of 71, on the other walls to keep the room light.

Which colors work well together in a living room?

Pair the pale oatmeal walls with the warm honey tan sofa or chair, then add ochre gold textiles and a deep olive accent piece. The brick red, with an LRV of 8, works best in small amounts, such as one pillow or a rug border.

Should I paint trim or doors in one of these colors?

The pale oatmeal, with an LRV of 71, is a safe choice for trim and doors because it stays close to the wall color and feels calm. If you want more contrast, the deep olive on doors can make a bold but controlled statement.

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.