North-facing room
#CFC0B1Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.
16th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette
The Musicians Color Palette & Paint Colors
Six colors measured from The Musicians by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), 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 Yellow on most walls, use Warm Ochre for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Dusky Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Umber works best in a single textile.
- Date
- 1597
- Movement
- 16th-century Italian painting
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image license
- Public domain (CC0)
- Wall color LRV
- 65
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
Deep Umber
Light Yellow
Warm Ochre
Soft Umber
Dusky Umber
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Ink Umber#382515 |
|
2 | One bold piece |
Deep Umber#5C3D26 |
|
6 | Small accents, art, accessories |
Light Yellow#EBCFAF |
|
65 | Main walls |
Warm Ochre#A0765B |
|
21 | Bed, sofa, curtains |
Soft Umber#4F1C19 |
|
3 | One small textile |
Dusky Umber#875E34 |
|
13 | Wood and frames |
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 yellow 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
#EFD4B3Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.
Evening, warm lamps (2700K)
#C7A881Under 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 Dusky 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 Yellow
Warm Ochre
Ink Umber
Save this palette
A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
More palettes like this
FAQ
What colors are in The Musicians?
Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#382515, 39.9% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#5C3D26, 18.2% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#EBCFAF, 16.5% of the canvas), Warm Ochre (#A0765B, 15.2% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#4F1C19, 7.7% of the canvas), Dusky Umber (#875E34, 2.5% of the canvas).
Does this palette work in a small room?
Yes. The wall color reflects about 65% of the light that hits it (LRV 65), 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.