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

The Finding of Moses Color Palette & Paint Colors

The Finding of Moses mixes near-black shadows with russet browns, a golden tan and a bright ivory. The palette suits a dining room or a den where the colors should feel rich and a little dramatic.

Quick answer

Paint the walls in the ivory (LRV 77) for light, or in the golden tan for a warmer room. Use the russet on wood, the golden tan on the main furniture and the brick-brown for textiles.

Artist: Jacopo Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti)
Date: 1560s?
Movement: 16th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 77

The Finding of Moses by Jacopo Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti) — Jacopo Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti), *The Finding of Moses*, 1560s?. 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 Umber

#4A4031 · 38.9% · LRV 5

Russet Brown

#856549 · 22.4% · LRV 15

Soft Black

#2C2721 · 20.4% · LRV 2

Bright Ivory

#F1E2BF · 10.8% · LRV 77

Golden Tan

#C39562 · 5% · LRV 34

Brick Brown

#78473C · 2.4% · LRV 9

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.

The Finding of Moses reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

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

Detail of the painting where Soft Black is strongest — Soft Black

Detail of the painting where Bright Ivory is strongest — Bright Ivory

Detail of the painting where Golden Tan is strongest — Golden Tan

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

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 Umber `#4A4031`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Valspar 6010-2 Deep Earth Similar Farrow & Ball No. 255 Tanner's Brown Similar	5	One bold piece
Russet Brown `#856549`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9098 Baked Cookie Very close Behr MQ2-10 Burnt Caramel Very close Valspar 3004-9A Muddy Mississippi Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	15	Wood and frames
Soft Black `#2C2721`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	2	Small accents, art, accessories
Bright Ivory `#F1E2BF`	Valspar 3002-4C Cream Cake Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 6679 Full Moon Very close Behr M300-2 Taj Mahal Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2012 House White Very close	77	Main walls
Golden Tan `#C39562`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6130 Mannered Gold Very close Valspar 3002-5B Butternut Tree Very close Behr UL160-3 Gold Torch Very close Farrow & Ball No. 66 India Yellow Close	34	Bed, sofa, curtains
Brick Brown `#78473C`	Behr S210-7 October Leaves Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 7591 Red Barn Very close Valspar 2003-7A Chocolate Cherry Close Farrow & Ball No. 43 Eating Room Red Similar	9	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 bright ivory 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#D3CCBB

In north light the ivory stays clean and warm, and the golden tan looks a little duller. Bring in lamps to keep the browns from sinking.

South-facing room#F4E3BF

South light makes the ivory look creamy and the tan more golden. The russet reads as a rich red-brown instead of a flat brown.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#CAB38B

Evening bulbs deepen the browns almost to black at the edges. The ivory turns buttery, which suits a dining table setting.

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 Russet Brown and the rug border takes Brick Brown in every combination.

Mood board

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

Bright Ivory

Golden Tan

Dark Olive 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

North Facing Hallway Colors for Cool, Dim Light North-facing · Hallway

More palettes like this

Portrait of a Venetian Senator Catena (Vincenzo di Biagio), ca. 1525

The Musicians Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), 1597

Allegory of Avarice Jacopo Ligozzi

FAQ

Can these dark browns work in a small room?

Yes, if you use them for furniture, rugs or a single wall. The very dark values (LRV 2 to 5) shrink a room when they cover every surface.

What goes with the ivory?

The golden tan at LRV 34 and the russet at LRV 15 both share its warm undertone, so they sit next to it without clashing.

Is this palette warm or cool?

It is warm. Every color here has a warm yellow or red-orange undertone, so it feels cohesive, but add a cool metal or a blue vase if you want contrast.

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.