16th-century painting · art-to-room palette

Virgin and Child with Angels Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette comes from Bernard van Orley's Virgin and Child with Angels, painted around 1518 in oil on wood and held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is built on deep browns and olive-gray neutrals with one pale green and a small share of muted teal, so it suits rooms that want warmth and depth.

Quick answer

Use the pale green #C1D0C2 on the walls and the mid-tone #877C64 for larger furniture or upholstery. Keep the darkest browns, #3F3028 and #49412B, for doors, trim, and wood pieces, and add the terracotta #864E3E in textiles and small accents.

Artist: Bernard van Orley
Date: ca. 1518
Movement: 16th-century painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 60

Virgin and Child with Angels by Bernard van Orley — Bernard van Orley, *Virgin and Child with Angels*, ca. 1518. 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.

Near-black warm brown

#3F3028 · 30.7% · LRV 3

Muted olive taupe

#877C64 · 27.2% · LRV 21

Dark umber wood

#49412B · 22.4% · LRV 5

Pale sage green

#C1D0C2 · 8.4% · LRV 60

Muted slate teal

#5C7F7D · 7.4% · LRV 19

Deep terracotta red

#864E3E · 4% · LRV 11

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.

Virgin and Child with Angels reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Near-black warm brown is strongest — Near-black warm brown

Detail of the painting where Muted olive taupe is strongest — Muted olive taupe

Detail of the painting where Dark umber wood is strongest — Dark umber wood

Detail of the painting where Pale sage green is strongest — Pale sage green

Detail of the painting where Muted slate teal is strongest — Muted slate teal

Detail of the painting where Deep terracotta red is strongest — Deep terracotta 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
Near-black warm brown `#3F3028`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Close Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Close Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	3	One bold piece
Muted olive taupe `#877C64`	Behr PPU8-24 Deserted Island Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7737 Meadow Trail Very close Valspar 5008-2B Ironclad Close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	21	Bed, sofa, curtains
Dark umber wood `#49412B`	Behr S-H-720 Volcanic Island Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7055 Enduring Bronze Similar Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar	5	Wood and frames
Pale sage green `#C1D0C2`	Behr N370-3 Light Year Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6456 Slow Green Very close Farrow & Ball No. 236 Teresa's Green Very close Valspar 5003-3B Frosty Grass Very close	60	Main walls
Muted slate teal `#5C7F7D`	Valspar 5003-6B Liquid Jade Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 18 Teal Stencil Very close Behr 720F-5 Hidden Peak Close Farrow & Ball No. 288 Vardo Similar	19	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep terracotta red `#864E3E`	Behr QE-14 Spiced Red Very close Valspar 2010-6 Burnt Caramel Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7598 Sierra Redwood Close Farrow & Ball No. 43 Eating Room Red Similar	11	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 pale sage green 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#B3C1BD

In north light the pale green wall will look cooler and a little greyer. The olive and brown shades will feel richer and more settled, so this room suits a calm, quiet mood.

South-facing room#CFD5C1

Strong south light lifts the pale green and makes it look brighter and fresher. The dark browns will show more warmth, and the terracotta accents will glow more.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#AFA88C

Under warm evening bulbs the green wall will shift toward a softer, more yellowed tone. The browns and terracotta will deepen and feel cozy, which works well for a room used mostly at night.

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 Dark umber wood and the rug border takes Deep terracotta red in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Pale sage green

Muted olive taupe

Near-black warm brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Virgin and Child with Angels

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

Earth Tone Paint Colors Earthy

More palettes like this

Man Weighing Gold Adriaen Isenbrant, ca. 1515–20

Portrait of an Artist or Scholar Mughal, 17th century

Saint Martin and the Beggar Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco, c. 1597–c. 1600

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the pale green?

Yes. At LRV 60 it sits at the lighter edge of the scale, so it bounces light well and will not make a room feel closed in. Balance it with the darker browns on trim, doors, or furniture so the room does not feel flat.

Where should the darkest color go?

Use #3F3028 on a single feature, such as an interior door, a built-in cabinet, or a ceiling beam. Too much of it across walls can make a small room feel dark, so keep it to a few surfaces.

Are these colors exact paint shades?

No. The hex values were measured from the painting image, so they show the colors as the image displayed them. Test a sample on a board or a small wall patch and check it in both daytime and evening light before you commit to a full room.

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.