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

Saint John on Patmos Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Saint John on Patmos, an oil and gold painting on spruce by Hans Baldung Grien, ca. 1511, held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its dark browns and reds, soft stone gray and pale cream suit rooms that want warmth, depth and a quiet backdrop for art and textiles.

Quick answer

Use the warm stone gray on the main walls and the dark umber on wood, such as trim, doors or a dining table. Keep the reds for textiles and one accent piece, and reserve the pale warm gold for a single wall.

Artist: Hans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien)
Date: ca. 1511
Movement: 16th-century German painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 72

Saint John on Patmos by Hans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien) — Hans Baldung (called Hans Baldung Grien), *Saint John on Patmos*, ca. 1511. 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.

Deep Warm Umber

#453620 · 45.2% · LRV 4

Warm Stone Gray

#908C7F · 22.1% · LRV 26

Pale Green Cream

#DBDAD1 · 17.1% · LRV 70

Dark Red Brown

#692520 · 7.4% · LRV 4

Deep Brick Red

#8C2F25 · 6.7% · LRV 8

Pale Warm Gold

#FFD973 · 1.5% · LRV 72

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.

Saint John on Patmos reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

Detail of the painting where Pale Green Cream is strongest — Pale Green Cream

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

Detail of the painting where Deep Brick Red is strongest — Deep Brick Red

Detail of the painting where Pale Warm Gold is strongest — Pale Warm Gold

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
Deep Warm Umber `#453620`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Similar Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Similar	4	Wood and frames
Warm Stone Gray `#908C7F`	Valspar 6003-2A Artichoke Very close Behr MQ6-25 Pavement Gray Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9172 Studio Clay Very close Farrow & Ball No. 292 Treron Close	26	Bed, sofa, curtains
Pale Green Cream `#DBDAD1`	Valspar 5008-1A Madison White Near-identical Behr OR-W6 Coconut Ice Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6196 Frosty White Very close Farrow & Ball No. 277 Dimpse Very close	70	Small accents, art, accessories
Dark Red Brown `#692520`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7585 Sun Dried Tomato Close Behr S160-7 Red Chipotle Close Valspar 1011-4 Posh Red Similar	4	One small textile
Deep Brick Red `#8C2F25`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6335 Fired Brick Close Behr S-H-200 New Brick Close Valspar 1009-4 Cut Ruby Similar Farrow & Ball No. 248 Incarnadine Similar	8	One bold piece
Pale Warm Gold `#FFD973`	Valspar 3004-1C Summer Wheat Near-identical Behr 320B-5 Zinnia Gold Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6901 Daffodil Very close Farrow & Ball No. 74 Citron Close	72	Main walls

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 pale warm gold 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#DCC78A

In north light the warm stone gray looks cooler and deeper, and its yellow undertone softens. Pair it with the pale cream on trim or ceilings so the room does not feel closed in.

South-facing room#FFDC84

In strong south light the warm stone gray reads lighter and its yellow undertone comes forward. The dark umber and brick red will look rich rather than heavy, so they suit sunny rooms well.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#D2AD5F

Under warm evening bulbs the stone gray and pale gold take on a golden cast, and the reds deepen. This is a good scheme for rooms used mostly at night.

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 Warm Umber and the rug border takes Dark Red Brown in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Warm Gold

Warm Stone Gray

Deep Brick Red

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

Red House Color Schemes for Exterior Paint House exterior · Red

Sage Green House Exterior Colors: Four Complete Schemes House exterior · Sage green

Brown Exterior Paint: Four Complete House Color Schemes House exterior · Brown

More palettes like this

Portrait of a Woman of the Slosgin Family of Cologne Barthel Bruyn the Younger, 1557

Benedikt von Hertenstein (born about 1495, died 1522) Hans Holbein the Younger, 1517

Portrait of a Woman Bernhard Strigel, ca. 1510–15

FAQ

Can I paint every wall in the warm stone gray?

You can, but the color has an LRV of 26, so a full room will feel fairly deep. Many people paint three walls in it and use the pale cream on the fourth or on the trim to keep the room open.

Where should the pale warm gold go?

Its LRV is 72, so it reads light and bounces light back into the room. Use it on one wall, such as a focal wall behind a sofa or bed, rather than across the whole room.

What is the pale green cream good for?

It is the lightest color in the set, with an LRV of 70. It works well on ceilings, trim or built-ins, where it lifts the darker umber and gray without competing with them.

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.