17th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Charity Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Charity by Carlo Cignani, 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 Shadow Grey for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Ochre works best in a single textile.

Artist: Carlo Cignani
Date: ca. 1680
Movement: 17th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 59

Charity by Carlo Cignani — Carlo Cignani, *Charity*, ca. 1680. 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.

Soft Black

#1C1714 · 37.5% · LRV 1

Ink Umber

#3E2A24 · 27.8% · LRV 3

Shadow Grey

#696964 · 15.7% · LRV 14

Deep Umber

#805D46 · 7.9% · LRV 13

Light Yellow

#F0C196 · 6.4% · LRV 59

Warm Ochre

#AD8163 · 4.7% · LRV 26

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.

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Shadow Grey is strongest — Shadow Grey

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 Ochre is strongest — Warm Ochre

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
Soft Black `#1C1714`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Ink Umber `#3E2A24`	Sherwin-Williams SW 2838 Polished Mahogany Close Behr S-G-780 Spiceberry Close Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar	3	One bold piece
Shadow Grey `#696964`	Behr PPU18-18 Mined Coal Very close Valspar 5007-2C Wetlands Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7068 Grizzle Gray Very close Farrow & Ball No. 26 Down Pipe Close	14	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#805D46`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7523 Burnished Brandy Very close Behr UL130-3 Burnt Terra Very close Valspar 2006-7A Chocolate Sauce Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	13	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#F0C196`	Behr M250-3 Apple Turnover Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6639 Avid Apricot Very close Valspar 2008-6A Orange Taffy Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Similar	59	Main walls
Warm Ochre `#AD8163`	Behr MQ2-2 Syrup Very close Valspar 2005-7B Terra Cotta Trail Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7715 Pottery Urn Close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	26	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#D2B7A0

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

South-facing room#F3C99F

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)#CAA073

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 Warm Ochre in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Yellow

Shadow Grey

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

Jacopo Butera Francesco Solimena, c. 1695

Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Dominic and Angels Giulio Cesare Procaccini, ca. 1612

Charity Cesare Dandini, ca. 1630

FAQ

What colors are in Charity?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#1C1714, 37.5% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#3E2A24, 27.8% of the canvas), Shadow Grey (#696964, 15.7% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#805D46, 7.9% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#F0C196, 6.4% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#AD8163, 4.7% 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 59, 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.