North-facing room
#BAB7A7Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.
15th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette
The Massacre of the Innocents Color Palette & Paint Colors
Six colors measured from The Massacre of the Innocents by Sano di Pietro (Ansano di Pietro di Mencio), 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 Soft Green for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Red to one bold piece. A warm mid-brown suits floors, wood and frames, and Light Yellow works best in a single textile.
- Date
- ca. 1470
- Movement
- 15th-century Italian painting
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image license
- Public domain (CC0)
- Wall color LRV
- 53
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.
Soft Green
Light Linen
Light Red
Deep Violet
Warm Red
Light Yellow
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Soft Green#A4A489 |
|
36 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Light Linen#CAC0A0 |
|
53 | Main walls |
Light Red#ECA58B |
|
47 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Deep Violet#4A598A |
|
10 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Warm Red#D96952 |
|
26 | One bold piece |
Light Yellow#D0B25F |
|
46 | 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 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.
South-facing room
#D6C8A7Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.
Evening, warm lamps (2700K)
#B49F79Under 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.
Wood takes a warm mid-brown and the rug border takes Light Yellow in every combination.
Mood board
Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.
Light Linen
Soft Green
Warm Red
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
What colors are in The Massacre of the Innocents?
Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Green (#A4A489, 35.3% of the canvas), Light Linen (#CAC0A0, 21.1% of the canvas), Light Red (#ECA58B, 18.8% of the canvas), Deep Violet (#4A598A, 13% of the canvas), Warm Red (#D96952, 8.5% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#D0B25F, 3.2% 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 53, 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.