North-facing room
#D0BD94North light is cool and even, so the butter cream wall will look softer and a little greyer. Its light reflectance value of 61 still bounces enough light to keep a north-facing room from feeling heavy.
16th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette
Allegory of Avarice Color Palette & Paint Colors
This palette is built from deep browns, warm ochre, and a single cool slate blue, all taken from a dark, warm-toned old painting. It suits rooms that should feel enclosed and cozy, such as a study, library, or dining room.
Quick answer
Use the pale butter cream on the walls, and keep the deep cocoa brown for textiles like a rug or upholstery. The ochre works as the main color on large furnishings, the rust brown as an accent, and the walnut brown on wood trim or furniture.
- Artist
- Jacopo Ligozzi
- Movement
- 16th-century Italian painting
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image license
- Public domain (CC0)
- Wall color LRV
- 61
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 cocoa brown
Dark walnut brown
Warm rust brown
Soft ochre tan
Muted slate blue
Pale butter cream
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.
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 cocoa brown#3A261C |
|
2 | One small textile |
Dark walnut brown#5E3824 |
|
5 | Wood and frames |
Warm rust brown#89582F |
|
13 | One bold piece |
Soft ochre tan#BE8A4C |
|
30 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Muted slate blue#455D6D |
|
10 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Pale butter cream#EDC984 |
|
61 | 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 butter cream 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.
South-facing room
#F1CF91Strong south light brings out the warm yellow in the butter cream and makes it look brighter. The darker browns will look richer and more saturated in the same light.
Evening, warm lamps (2700K)
#C8A569Under warm evening bulbs the butter cream takes on a golden glow and the ochre and rust browns deepen. This is the lighting where the palette feels most like the original painting.
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.
Wood takes Dark walnut brown and the rug border takes Deep cocoa brown in every combination.
Mood board
Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.
Pale butter cream
Soft ochre tan
Warm rust brown
Save this palette
A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Guides that use colors from this painting
More palettes like this
FAQ
Which color should I use on the walls?
Use the pale butter cream, which is the lightest color in the palette at a light reflectance value of 61. It reads light and bounces light, so it works well as the base for the room. The darker browns can then carry the furniture and textiles.
Can I paint a whole room in the dark browns?
The deepest browns have very low light reflectance values, between 2 and 13, so a full room in them will feel very dark. Use them on a rug, upholstery, or a single piece of wood furniture instead. Keep at least one light surface in the room to balance them.
Where does the slate blue fit in?
The slate blue is the only cool color in the set, so it works best as a small contrast. Try it on a cushion, a book spine, or a small object. Used in larger amounts, it can pull the room away from the warm browns and ochres.
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.