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

The Coronation of the Virgin Color Palette & Paint Colors

The Coronation of the Virgin is built on warm browns, a golden tan and a soft sand, with true black in the shadows. The palette suits a living room or study that should feel warm and settled.

Quick answer

Use the sand (LRV 55) on the walls, the golden tan on wood or a leather chair, and the peachy tone on the main upholstery. Keep the deep brown for a rug or built-ins and the rust red for small textiles.

Artist: Annibale Carracci
Date: after 1595
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 55

The Coronation of the Virgin by Annibale Carracci — Annibale Carracci, *The Coronation of the Virgin*, after 1595. 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.

Cocoa Brown

#584638 · 54.4% · LRV 7

Golden Tan

#AA815E · 16.8% · LRV 25

True Black

#000000 · 12.9% · LRV 0

Warm Sand

#CFC3AE · 7.1% · LRV 55

Soft Peach Clay

#D6A16D · 6% · LRV 41

Rust Brown

#945946 · 2.8% · LRV 14

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 Coronation of the Virgin reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Golden Tan is strongest — Golden Tan

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

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

Detail of the painting where Soft Peach Clay is strongest — Soft Peach Clay

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

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
Cocoa Brown `#584638`	Behr N190-7 Moose Trail Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7027 Well‐Bred Brown Near-identical Valspar 2011-10 Cabin Plank Close Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	7	One bold piece
Golden Tan `#AA815E`	Valspar 3003-7B Leather Satchel Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 9105 Almond Roca Very close Behr MQ2-2 Syrup Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	25	Wood and frames
True Black `#000000`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Nearest available	0	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Sand `#CFC3AE`	Farrow & Ball No. 4 Old White Near-identical Behr 700C-3 Pecan Sandie Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7542 Naturel Very close Valspar 6006-1B Oatbran Very close	55	Main walls
Soft Peach Clay `#D6A16D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2858 Harvest Gold Near-identical Behr BIC-14 Fresh Nectar Very close Valspar 3002-5C Frankincense Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	41	Bed, sofa, curtains
Rust Brown `#945946`	Valspar 2009-6 Autumn Russet Very close Behr 230F-6 Earth Tone Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2803 Rookwood Terra Cotta Very close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Close	14	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 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#BDB9B0

In north light the sand wall (LRV 55) looks a little grayer and quieter. Add the peach tone nearby to bring some warmth back.

South-facing room#DACBB2

South light brings out the red-orange in the golden tan and the peach. The sand reads creamy and bright, so it needs less help from other colors.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#B7A081

Warm evening bulbs deepen every color here. The cocoa and rust browns turn rich, and the sand takes on an amber tint.

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 Golden Tan and the rug border takes Rust Brown in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Sand

Soft Peach Clay

Cocoa Brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Coronation of the Virgin

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

Rustic Exterior Paint Color Schemes from Four Paintings House exterior · Rustic

More palettes like this

Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison Paolo Veronese (Paolo Caliari), ca. 1585

Allegory of Avarice Jacopo Ligozzi

The Entombment Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino), 1554

FAQ

Is pure black safe to use with these browns?

Yes, in small amounts. Black at LRV 0 works well on a fireplace surround, window frames or a metal lamp, where it sharpens the warm browns.

What is the best wall color from this palette?

The warm sand at LRV 55 is the easiest wall color. It is light enough to keep a room open and warm enough to match the browns.

How dark is the main brown?

The cocoa brown has an LRV of 7, which is very dark. It covers over half of the painting, so treat it as an anchor for a rug or a large piece of furniture, not as a wall color for a small room.

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.