17th-century Italian painting · art-to-room palette

Cain Slaying Abel Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Cain Slaying Abel by Pier Francesco Mola, 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 Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Ink Umber to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Umber works best in a single textile.

Artist: Pier Francesco Mola
Date: ca. 1650–52
Movement: 17th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Cain Slaying Abel by Pier Francesco Mola — Pier Francesco Mola, *Cain Slaying Abel*, ca. 1650–52. 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.

Ink Umber

#231B15 · 49.3% · LRV 1

Deep Blue

#4D6974 · 23.5% · LRV 13

Deep Umber

#5B3B24 · 16.4% · LRV 6

Light Yellow

#C6AC86 · 6.6% · LRV 43

Warm Umber

#9E613C · 2.2% · LRV 16

Warm Yellow

#B88960 · 2% · 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.

Cain Slaying Abel reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

Detail of the painting where Deep Blue is strongest — Deep Blue

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

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

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

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

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 `#231B15`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Similar	1	One bold piece
Deep Blue `#4D6974`	Valspar 5001-6C Perfect Storm Very close Behr MQ5-25 Rush Hour Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9141 Waterloo Very close Farrow & Ball No. 289 Inchyra Blue Similar	13	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#5B3B24`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6090 Java Close Behr 240F-7 Root Beer Close Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar	6	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#C6AC86`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6122 Camelback Near-identical Behr N280-4 Perfect Tan Very close Valspar 3005-9C Caraway Seed Very close Farrow & Ball No. 16 Cord Similar	43	Main walls
Warm Umber `#9E613C`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6356 Copper Mountain Very close Behr 260D-7 Copper Mountain Close Valspar 3011-6 Toffee Glaze Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	16	One small textile
Warm Yellow `#B88960`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6116 Tatami Tan Near-identical Behr 260F-5 Applesauce Cake Very close Valspar 3002-7B Gleaming Tan Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	29	Bed, sofa, curtains

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#ECD4B3).

How the lightest tone 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#D0C4B2

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

South-facing room#F0D8B6

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)#C7AB84

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 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 Yellow

Ink Umber

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

Coastal Exterior Paint Schemes House exterior · Coastal

Pro Classic Paint Colors for a Traditional Interior Traditional style

More palettes like this

Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Dominic and Angels Giulio Cesare Procaccini, ca. 1612

Still Life of Grapes and Peaches Panfilo Nuvolone, ca. 1617

Saint Francis in Ecstasy Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto), ca. 1650

FAQ

What colors are in Cain Slaying Abel?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#231B15, 49.3% of the canvas), Deep Blue (#4D6974, 23.5% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#5B3B24, 16.4% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#C6AC86, 6.6% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#9E613C, 2.2% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#B88960, 2% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 68% of the light that hits it (LRV 68), 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.