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

The Annunciation Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Annunciation by Petrus Christus, 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 Light Yellow on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Petrus Christus
Date: ca. 1445
Movement: 15th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 56

The Annunciation by Petrus Christus — Petrus Christus, *The Annunciation*, ca. 1445. 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 Green

#303821 · 31.7% · LRV 4

Warm Umber

#97784B · 24% · LRV 21

Deep Umber

#715130 · 18.7% · LRV 10

Light Yellow

#E4C17E · 14.7% · LRV 56

Warm Yellow

#BC8B4B · 6.1% · LRV 30

Deep Red

#6D3020 · 4.8% · LRV 6

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 Green is strongest — Ink Green

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

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

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

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

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 Green `#303821`	Behr S-H-760 Olive Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 2847 Roycroft Bottle Green Similar Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar	4	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Umber `#97784B`	Behr N270-6 Westminster Very close Valspar 3005-9A Magic Lamp Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6124 Cardboard Close	21	One bold piece
Deep Umber `#715130`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9099 Saddle Up Very close Behr 290F-7 Wooden Cabin Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Similar	10	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#E4C17E`	Behr 330D-4 Warm Muffin Near-identical Valspar 3007-5C Harpswell Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7685 White Raisin Close	56	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#BC8B4B`	Valspar 3005-5A Garden Ochre Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6390 Bosc Pear Very close Behr MQ4-9 Rice Curry Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	30	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Red `#6D3020`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7593 Rustic Red Close Behr 230F-7 Florence Brown Similar Valspar 1011-4 Posh Red Similar	6	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 light 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#CAB790

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

South-facing room#EAC98C

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)#C3A066

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.

Light Yellow

Warm Yellow

Warm 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

Guides that use colors from this painting

Room Color Combination Ideas from Five Paintings Whole home

More palettes like this

Virgin and Child in an Apse Robert Campin

Saint John the Baptist; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata Gerard David, ca. 1485–90

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

FAQ

What colors are in The Annunciation?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Green (#303821, 31.7% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#97784B, 24% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#715130, 18.7% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#E4C17E, 14.7% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#BC8B4B, 6.1% of the canvas), Deep Red (#6D3020, 4.8% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Use it with care. The lightest wall color in this painting has an LRV of about 56, so in a small room pair it with plenty of daylight or a lighter white on the ceiling.

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.