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

Susanna and the Elders Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Susanna and the Elders by Peter Paul Rubens, 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 Umber for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Umber to one bold piece. Soft Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Red works best in a single textile.

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
Movement: 16th-century Flemish painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Susanna and the Elders by Peter Paul Rubens — Peter Paul Rubens, *Susanna and the Elders*. 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

#382B21 · 44.8% · LRV 3

Deep Umber

#644A34 · 28.3% · LRV 8

Soft Umber

#764F34 · 9.8% · LRV 10

Light Yellow

#D7AD87 · 8.9% · LRV 46

Warm Umber

#A47346 · 7.4% · LRV 21

Warm Red

#B56851 · 0.9% · 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.

Susanna and the Elders 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 Umber is strongest — Deep Umber

Detail of the painting where Soft Umber is strongest — Soft 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 Red is strongest — Warm 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
Ink Umber `#382B21`	Behr 780B-7 Bison Brown Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 1011-8 Antique Burgundy Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#644A34`	Behr N250-7 Mission Brown Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6104 Kaffee Close Valspar 3011-8 Dark Earth Close	8	One bold piece
Soft Umber `#764F34`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9100 Umber Rust Very close Behr S240-7 Leather Work Very close Valspar 3010-8 Cowboy Hat Close	10	Wood and frames
Light Yellow `#D7AD87`	Behr BXC-67 Santa Fe Tan Very close Valspar 2007-8A Cosy Chair Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2853 New Colonial Yellow Very close Farrow & Ball No. 231 Setting Plaster Similar	46	Main walls
Warm Umber `#A47346`	Behr MQ4-5 Castellina Very close Valspar 3004-7A Praline Cake Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6117 Smokey Topaz Close	21	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Red `#B56851`	Valspar 2009-5 Fall Leaf Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6341 Red Cent Very close Behr HDC-FL13-3 Warm Cider 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.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#F6D0B1).

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#D5C1B2

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

South-facing room#F8D5B4

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)#CDA883

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 Soft Umber and the rug border takes Warm Red in every combination.

Mood board

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

Light Yellow

Warm Umber

Deep 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

More palettes like this

Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678) Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1635

A Mountainous Landscape with a Waterfall Kerstiaen de Keuninck, ca. 1600

Saint Francis Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1615

FAQ

What colors are in Susanna and the Elders?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Ink Umber (#382B21, 44.8% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#644A34, 28.3% of the canvas), Soft Umber (#764F34, 9.8% of the canvas), Light Yellow (#D7AD87, 8.9% of the canvas), Warm Umber (#A47346, 7.4% of the canvas), Warm Red (#B56851, 0.9% 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.