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

Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun Color Palette & Paint Colors

Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun combines dark olive-browns with a pale, clear sky blue. It suits a bedroom or reading nook where a cool wall softens a warm, earthy set of furnishings.

Quick answer

Paint the walls in the pale sky blue (LRV 58), use the olive-gold on the main furniture, and bring in the deep olive and brown for rugs, wood and curtains.

Artist: Nicolas Poussin
Date: 1658
Movement: 17th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 58

Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun by Nicolas Poussin — Nicolas Poussin, *Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun*, 1658. 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.

Dark Olive Brown

#343224 · 37% · LRV 3

Deep Umber Olive

#413C29 · 24% · LRV 5

Mossy Brown

#645A3F · 18.9% · LRV 10

Pale Sky Blue

#B9CBDB · 12.6% · LRV 58

Olive Gold

#918158 · 5.4% · LRV 22

Warm Walnut

#7E5941 · 2.1% · LRV 12

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.

Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Dark Olive Brown is strongest — Dark Olive Brown

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

Detail of the painting where Mossy Brown is strongest — Mossy Brown

Detail of the painting where Pale Sky Blue is strongest — Pale Sky Blue

Detail of the painting where Olive Gold is strongest — Olive Gold

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

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 Brown `#343224`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-5 Aged Pine Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber Olive `#413C29`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron Close Valspar 6010-3 Olive Suede Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	5	One small textile
Mossy Brown `#645A3F`	Behr BNC-35 Ground Pepper Close Sherwin-Williams SW 7735 Palm Leaf Close Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	10	One bold piece
Pale Sky Blue `#B9CBDB`	Behr 610F-4 Silver Service Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6807 Wondrous Blue Very close Valspar 4005-5B Sailboat Very close Farrow & Ball No. 27 Parma Gray Similar	58	Main walls
Olive Gold `#918158`	Behr PPU8-02 Gingko Tree Close Valspar 6007-4C Mountain Olive Close Sherwin-Williams SW 14 Sheraton Sage Close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	22	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Walnut `#7E5941`	Behr S220-7 Molasses Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 7523 Burnished Brandy Very close Valspar 3010-8 Cowboy Hat Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	12	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 pale sky blue 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#AFBECC

North light makes the sky blue cooler and calmer, and the olive tones look flatter. Warm lamps help balance the room.

South-facing room#C8D1D5

In south light the blue is clear and airy, and the olive gold looks more yellow. The darks add depth without heaviness.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#ABA59B

Warm bulbs shift the blue toward soft gray and make the olive and walnut glow.

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 and the rug border takes Deep Umber Olive in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Sky Blue

Olive Gold

Mossy Brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun

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

North West Facing Living Room Colors for Cool Mornings and Warm Evenings West-facing · Living room

More palettes like this

Portrait of a Man Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1693

The Abduction of the Sabine Women Nicolas Poussin, probably 1633–34

Lute Player Valentin de Boulogne, ca. 1625–26

FAQ

Is the sky blue too light for walls?

At LRV 58 it is a light, easy wall color. It reflects a good amount of light and works well in small rooms.

What do I pair with the sky blue?

The olive gold (LRV 22) and walnut (LRV 12) are its partners in the painting, and both work as wood and fabric colors.

How much dark olive is too much?

The painting is mostly dark, but a room usually works best with one or two dark elements, such as a rug and curtains, against lighter walls.

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.