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

Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence Color Palette & Paint Colors

Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence by Defendente Ferrari mixes near-black brown, a warm gray-cream and bright orange and red accents. It suits a living room or entry that wants a strong, warm contrast.

Quick answer

Use the gray-cream #D6D0BD on the walls and the gold #CEAE4C for the main furniture. Use the orange #DE774E as an accent, #5E3413 for wood and #B64632 for textiles.

Artist: Defendente Ferrari
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 63

Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence by Defendente Ferrari — Defendente Ferrari, *Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence*. 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 Brown Black

#271D16 · 33.9% · LRV 1

Warm Parchment Gray

#D6D0BD · 16.9% · LRV 63

Dark Mahogany Brown

#5E3413 · 16.8% · LRV 5

Burnt Orange

#DE774E · 16.1% · LRV 29

Antique Gold

#CEAE4C · 9.7% · LRV 44

Deep Brick Red

#B64632 · 6.5% · LRV 15

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.

Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Ink Brown Black is strongest — Ink Brown Black

Detail of the painting where Warm Parchment Gray is strongest — Warm Parchment Gray

Detail of the painting where Dark Mahogany Brown is strongest — Dark Mahogany Brown

Detail of the painting where Burnt Orange is strongest — Burnt Orange

Detail of the painting where Antique Gold is strongest — Antique Gold

Detail of the painting where Deep Brick Red is strongest — Deep Brick 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 Brown Black `#271D16`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar	1	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Parchment Gray `#D6D0BD`	Valspar 6008-1B Shoreline Haze Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6162 Ancient Marble Very close Farrow & Ball No. 201 Shaded White Very close Behr PPU8-15 Stonewashed Very close	63	Main walls
Dark Mahogany Brown `#5E3413`	Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6097 Sturdy Brown Similar	5	Wood and frames
Burnt Orange `#DE774E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6627 Emberglow Very close Valspar 2006-3A Roasted Squash Very close Behr M220-6 Pumpkin Puree Very close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	29	One bold piece
Antique Gold `#CEAE4C`	Behr 350D-5 French Pale Gold Very close Valspar 3008-3A Almond Puff Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6697 Nugget Close Farrow & Ball No. 51 Sudbury Yellow Similar	44	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Brick Red `#B64632`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6622 Hearty Orange Very close Behr M200-7 Rusty Gate Very close Valspar 2009-7 Fire Orange Close Farrow & Ball No. 212 Blazer Similar	15	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 parchment gray 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#C1C1B9

In north light the wall color #D6D0BD, at LRV 63, looks a little cooler and the orange loses some of its punch.

South-facing room#DFD5BD

In strong south light the wall looks like a clean warm greige, and the orange and red accents look bold.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#BAA88A

Under warm evening bulbs the orange and brick red glow, and the dark browns look almost black.

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 Dark Mahogany Brown and the rug border takes Deep Brick Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Warm Parchment Gray

Antique Gold

Burnt Orange

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Saints John the Evangelist and Lawrence

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

Peach Bathroom Paint Colors Orange · Bathroom

More palettes like this

The Nativity Fra Bartolommeo, 1504–7

Portrait of a Man Francesco Salviati (Francesco de' Rossi)

Allegory of Avarice Jacopo Ligozzi

FAQ

Is the orange too strong for a room?

At LRV 29 it is a mid-tone, so it works best in small amounts such as a door, a chair or a cushion.

What can I paint in the dark brown?

The #5E3413 has an LRV of 5 and suits bookcases, beams or a front door. The #271D16 is nearly black.

Does the brick red go with the orange?

Both have a warm red-orange undertone, so they sit well together. The brick red is much deeper, at LRV 15.

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.