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

The Parable of the Mote and the Beam Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from The Parable of the Mote and the Beam by Domenico Fetti, 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 Linen on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: Domenico Fetti
Date: ca. 1619
Movement: 17th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 63

The Parable of the Mote and the Beam by Domenico Fetti — Domenico Fetti, *The Parable of the Mote and the Beam*, ca. 1619. 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

#452414 · 32.1% · LRV 3

Light Linen

#DACEB8 · 22.6% · LRV 63

Warm Yellow

#AB926D · 18.7% · LRV 30

Deep Umber

#5B3516 · 12.5% · LRV 5

Soft Umber

#81541F · 7.8% · LRV 11

Soft Blue

#69869E · 6.4% · LRV 23

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 Parable of the Mote and the Beam 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 Light Linen is strongest — Light Linen

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

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

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

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

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 `#452414`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6069 French Roast Similar Behr S-G-770 Wild Horse Similar	3	One bold piece
Light Linen `#DACEB8`	Behr MQ3-15 Bell Tower Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7565 Oyster Bar Near-identical Valspar 3007-10C Rattan Basket Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 226 Joa's White Very close	63	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#AB926D`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6137 Burlap Very close Valspar 3005-9B Hot-Crossed Bun Very close Behr 280F-4 Burnt Almond Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	30	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Umber `#5B3516`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6097 Sturdy Brown Similar Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Similar	5	Wood and frames
Soft Umber `#81541F`	Behr S250-7 Moroccan Spice Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9107 Über Umber Similar Valspar 3011-5 Autumn Surprise Similar	11	One small textile
Soft Blue `#69869E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6522 Sporty Blue Very close Valspar 4005-6B Blue Sash Very close Behr PPU15-09 Hilo Bay Close Farrow & Ball No. 237 Cook's Blue Close	23	Small accents, art, accessories

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 linen 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#C4BFB6

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

South-facing room#E2D3BA

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)#BDA786

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 Soft Umber in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Linen

Warm Yellow

Ink Umber

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Parable of the Mote and the Beam

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

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist Orsola Maddalena Caccia, ca. 1645

Saint Francis in Ecstasy Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto), ca. 1650

Jacopo Butera Francesco Solimena, c. 1695

FAQ

What colors are in The Parable of the Mote and the Beam?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#452414, 32.1% of the canvas), Light Linen (#DACEB8, 22.6% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#AB926D, 18.7% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#5B3516, 12.5% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#81541F, 7.8% of the canvas), Soft Blue (#69869E, 6.4% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 63% of the light that hits it (LRV 63), 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.