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

Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built from olive-dark greens, wheat and honey tans, deep walnut browns, and one pale cream. It suits rooms that want warm, earthy calm, such as a reading room, a bedroom, or a dining room with natural wood.

Quick answer

Use the pale cream on the walls, the soft wheat as the main supporting color on furniture and large fabrics, and the walnut brown for wood pieces. Keep the dark olive for one accent, such as a door, built-in, or single feature wall, and add the clay rose through textiles like cushions or a rug.

Artist: Giovanni di Paolo
Date: 1455–60
Movement: 15th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 77

Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness by Giovanni di Paolo — Giovanni di Paolo, *Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness*, 1455–60. The Art Institute of Chicago, 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.

Dark olive bronze

#454536 · 42.9% · LRV 6

Soft wheat khaki

#B5AA8B · 29.7% · LRV 40

Warm walnut brown

#7B633E · 17.9% · LRV 14

Muted honey tan

#BEA373 · 6.3% · LRV 38

Pale cream linen

#F9E0BC · 2.6% · LRV 77

Muted clay rose

#AA6E57 · 0.7% · LRV 20

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 John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Dark olive bronze is strongest — Dark olive bronze

Detail of the painting where Soft wheat khaki is strongest — Soft wheat khaki

Detail of the painting where Warm walnut brown is strongest — Warm walnut brown

Detail of the painting where Muted honey tan is strongest — Muted honey tan

Detail of the painting where Pale cream linen is strongest — Pale cream linen

Detail of the painting where Muted clay rose is strongest — Muted clay rose

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
Dark olive bronze `#454536`	Behr S-H-740 Fedora Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6209 Ripe Olive Close Valspar 6010-3 Olive Suede Similar Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Similar	6	One bold piece
Soft wheat khaki `#B5AA8B`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7736 Garden Sage Very close Behr 710D-4 Harvest Brown Very close Valspar 6008-4A Dry Earth Very close Farrow & Ball No. 75 Ball Green Close	40	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm walnut brown `#7B633E`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6139 Mossy Gold Very close Behr 280F-6 Sweet Georgia Brown Close Valspar 3006-9A Grecian Helmet Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	14	Wood and frames
Muted honey tan `#BEA373`	Behr 300F-4 Almond Toast Very close Valspar 3007-7C Golden Popover Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9028 Dusted Olive Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Similar	38	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale cream linen `#F9E0BC`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6379 Jersey Cream Near-identical Valspar 2006-2C Sisal Very close Behr P240-1 Cheese Powder Very close Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Close	77	Main walls
Muted clay rose `#AA6E57`	Behr MQ1-28 Orange Flambe Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7701 Cavern Clay Very close Valspar 2004-5A Bear Claw Very close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	20	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 cream 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#D8CBB9

In north light, the pale cream wall will look cooler and slightly grayer. Choose a version with a little more warmth if the room gets little direct sun.

South-facing room#FAE1BD

Strong south light makes the cream wall look bright and warm, and it may read almost white in the afternoon. The olive and walnut tones will look richer and more saturated.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#CFB189

Under warm evening bulbs, the cream wall takes on a soft amber glow. The wheat and honey tones will look especially cozy, and the dark olive will read as a deep, quiet shadow.

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 Warm walnut brown and the rug border takes Muted clay rose in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale cream linen

Soft wheat khaki

Dark olive bronze

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Saint John the Baptist Entering the Wilderness

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

Dark Green House: Forest Green Exterior Paint Colors House exterior · Dark green

North Facing Kitchen Colors: Warm Paints That Balance Cool Light North-facing · Kitchen

More palettes like this

The Death of the Virgin Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1484

Saint Jerome Antonio Vivarini, 1440s

Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi), ca. 1504

FAQ

Which color should go on the walls?

The pale cream, at a light reflectance value of 77, is the wall color in this palette. It bounces light well, so it keeps a room from feeling dark even with the deeper tones.

Can I paint a whole room in the dark olive?

It is not recommended. At a light reflectance value of 6, it reads very dark, so it works best as an accent on one wall, a door, or a cabinet.

Will these colors look the same in my home?

Not exactly. The colors were measured from a painting under its own conditions, and your room's light will change how they look. Test paint samples on your walls and check them at morning, midday, and evening.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, 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.