15th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries by Bicci di Lorenzo, 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 Warm Red to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Ochre works best in a single textile.

Artist: Bicci di Lorenzo
Date: 1433–35
Movement: 15th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 55

Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries by Bicci di Lorenzo — Bicci di Lorenzo, *Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries*, 1433–35. 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 Umber

#504532 · 28% · LRV 6

Light Linen

#D1C2A2 · 26.4% · LRV 55

Warm Yellow

#A48D61 · 23.2% · LRV 28

Warm Ochre

#F47E3C · 8.6% · LRV 35

Light Yellow

#E29B32 · 7.4% · LRV 40

Warm Red

#F66627 · 6.3% · LRV 29

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 Nicholas Providing Dowries reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

Detail of the painting where Warm Red is strongest — Warm 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
Deep Umber `#504532`	Behr S-H-700 Burley Wood Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7055 Enduring Bronze Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	6	Wood and frames
Light Linen `#D1C2A2`	Valspar 3007-10B Country Charm Very close Farrow & Ball No. 16 Cord Very close Behr PPU8-10 Rye Bread Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9120 Tumblin' Tumbleweed Very close	55	Main walls
Warm Yellow `#A48D61`	Behr N270-5 River Road Very close Valspar 3008-7A Grecian Olive Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 43 Peristyle Brass Close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	28	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Ochre `#F47E3C`	Behr P230-6 Toucan Very close Valspar 2004-1A Autumn Gala Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6886 Invigorate Close	35	One small textile
Light Yellow `#E29B32`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6678 Sunflower Near-identical Valspar 3004-3A Golden Castle Very close Behr HDC-FL14-5 Gilded Leaves Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	40	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Red `#F66627`	Behr P220-7 Construction Zone Near-identical Valspar 2010-2 Island Orange Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6886 Invigorate Close Farrow & Ball No. 268 Charlotte's Locks Similar	29	One bold piece

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#BEB8A7

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

South-facing room#DBCAA8

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)#B8A07A

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 Linen

Warm Yellow

Warm Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries

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

Mediterranean Exterior Paint Color Schemes House exterior · Mediterranean

More palettes like this

The Birth of the Virgin Fra Carnevale (Bartolomeo di Giovanni Corradini), 1467

Madonna and Child with Two Angels Botticelli

Portrait of a Man Fra Bartolomeo (Bartolomeo di Paolo del Fattorino), shortly after 1497

FAQ

What colors are in Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Umber (#504532, 28% of the canvas), Light Linen (#D1C2A2, 26.4% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A48D61, 23.2% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#F47E3C, 8.6% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#E29B32, 7.4% of the canvas), Warm Red (#F66627, 6.3% 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 55, 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.