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

The Annunciation Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Annunciation by Peter Candid (Pieter de Witte, Pietro Candido), 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 Linen for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Yellow works best in a single textile.

Artist: Peter Candid (Pieter de Witte, Pietro Candido)
Date: ca. 1585
Movement: 16th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 75

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

#3A261C · 32.8% · LRV 2

Warm Linen

#B59A8D · 29% · LRV 35

Deep Umber

#815A3F · 21.7% · LRV 12

Pale Yellow

#F9DCB1 · 7.7% · LRV 75

Deep Red

#804648 · 7.6% · LRV 9

Light Yellow

#DC9D63 · 1.1% · LRV 40

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 Annunciation 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 Warm Linen is strongest — Warm Linen

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

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

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

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

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 `#3A261C`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2838 Polished Mahogany Close Behr S-G-760 Chocolate Coco Similar	2	One bold piece
Warm Linen `#B59A8D`	Behr MQ1-55 Lite Cocoa Very close Valspar 1006-10A Mauve Blush Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6045 Emerging Taupe Very close Farrow & Ball No. 28 Dead Salmon Close	35	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#815A3F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6096 Jute Brown Very close Behr S220-7 Molasses Very close Valspar 2008-7A Natural Cork Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	12	Wood and frames
Pale Yellow `#F9DCB1`	Behr M270-3 Cream Custard Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6659 Captivating Cream Very close Valspar 3006-6B Shoreline Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close	75	Main walls
Deep Red `#804648`	Behr S170-6 Red Curry Very close Valspar 1010-4 Perennial Red Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6306 Cordial Close Farrow & Ball No. 43 Eating Room Red Close	9	Small accents, art, accessories
Light Yellow `#DC9D63`	Valspar 3001-3B Toffee Cream Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6368 Bakelite Gold Very close Behr BIC-14 Fresh Nectar Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	40	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#D8C9B2

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

South-facing room#FADEB4

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)#CFAF83

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 Light Yellow in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow

Warm Linen

Ink Umber

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

More palettes like this

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

Portrait of an Old Man El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), ca. 1595–1600

FAQ

What colors are in The Annunciation?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#3A261C, 32.8% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#B59A8D, 29% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#815A3F, 21.7% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#F9DCB1, 7.7% of the canvas), Deep Red (#804648, 7.6% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#DC9D63, 1.1% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 75% of the light that hits it (LRV 75), 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.