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

Christ Healing the Blind Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Christ Healing the Blind by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), 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 Pale Yellow on most walls, use Warm Yellow for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Deep Blue to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Soft Green works best in a single textile.

Date
ca. 1570
Collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license
Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV
71
Christ Healing the Blind by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), Christ Healing the Blind, ca. 1570. 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.

Deep Umber
#543F2F · 35.4% · LRV 6
Warm Yellow
#A18B6D · 33.8% · LRV 27
Deep Blue
#3D6287 · 12.4% · LRV 12
Soft Black
#010100 · 9.6% · LRV 0
Pale Yellow
#EED9B3 · 7.4% · LRV 71
Soft Green
#6D7440 · 1.3% · LRV 16

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.

Christ Healing the Blind reduced to its palette colors
The same scene in 6 flat colors.
Detail of the painting where Deep Umber is strongest
Deep Umber
Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest
Warm Yellow
Detail of the painting where Deep Blue is strongest
Deep Blue
Detail of the painting where Soft Black is strongest
Soft Black
Detail of the painting where Pale Yellow is strongest
Pale Yellow
Detail of the painting where Soft Green is strongest
Soft Green

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
Deep Umber
#543F2F
  • Behr 280F-7 Breakfast Blend Very close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 7027 Well‐Bred Brown Close
  • Valspar 2009-10 Roasted Coffee Similar
  • Farrow & Ball No. 36 Mahogany Similar
6 Wood and frames
Warm Yellow
#A18B6D
  • Behr N260-5 Distant Land Very close
  • Valspar 3004-9C River Oak Very close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 9123 Barro Verde Very close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Close
27 Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Blue
#3D6287
  • Valspar 4011-7 Egyptian Blue Very close
  • Behr PPU15-04 Mosaic Blue Very close
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 6530 Revel Blue Close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 281 Stiffkey Blue Similar
12 One bold piece
Soft Black
#010100
0 Small accents, art, accessories
Pale Yellow
#EED9B3
  • Farrow & Ball No. 67 Farrow's Cream Near-identical
  • Behr S300-2 Powdered Gold Near-identical
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 6393 Convivial Yellow Very close
  • Valspar 3004-8B Hazy Yellow Very close
71 Main walls
Soft Green
#6D7440
  • Sherwin-Williams SW 6432 Garden Spot Very close
  • Behr S350-6 Truly Olive Close
  • Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Similar
  • Valspar 6003-4C Jungle Thicket Similar
16 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 yellow 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#D1C7B2

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

South-facing room#F2DCB6

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)#C9AD84

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 Deep Umber and the rug border takes Soft Green in every combination.

Mood board

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

Pale Yellow
Warm Yellow
Deep Blue
Linen
Oiled oak
Lime plaster
Aged brass
Palette card for Christ Healing the Blind

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

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FAQ

What colors are in Christ Healing the Blind?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Umber (#543F2F, 35.4% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#A18B6D, 33.8% of the canvas), Deep Blue (#3D6287, 12.4% of the canvas), Soft Black (#010100, 9.6% of the canvas), Pale Yellow (#EED9B3, 7.4% of the canvas), Soft Green (#6D7440, 1.3% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 71% of the light that hits it (LRV 71), 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.