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

The Death of the Virgin Color Palette & Paint Colors

Vivarini's "The Death of the Virgin" combines a deep blue with browns, a red and a pale cream. It suits a room with strong wood and a single blue feature.

Quick answer

Use #E0DAD0 on the walls, #A9805D for main furniture and #8B694F for wood. Use #4A6786 for one bold piece.

Artist: Bartolomeo Vivarini
Date: 1484
Movement: 15th-century Italian painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 71

The Death of the Virgin by Bartolomeo Vivarini — Bartolomeo Vivarini, *The Death of the Virgin*, 1484. 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.

Walnut Brown

#8B694F · 28.3% · LRV 16

Slate Blue

#4A6786 · 24.3% · LRV 13

Soft Linen

#E0DAD0 · 16.9% · LRV 71

Warm Tan

#A9805D · 15.8% · LRV 25

Olive Gold

#989456 · 8.8% · LRV 29

Brick Red

#8B3630 · 5.9% · LRV 8

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 Death of the Virgin reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

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

Detail of the painting where Slate Blue is strongest — Slate Blue

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

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

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

Detail of the painting where Brick Red is strongest — Brick 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
Walnut Brown `#8B694F`	Behr PPU4-01 Caramel Swirl Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9098 Baked Cookie Very close Valspar 3003-7A Brilliant Oak Very close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	16	Wood and frames
Slate Blue `#4A6786`	Valspar 4004-6C Atlantic Schooner Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6530 Revel Blue Very close Behr BNC-29 Dark Room Very close Farrow & Ball No. 281 Stiffkey Blue Similar	13	Small accents, art, accessories
Soft Linen `#E0DAD0`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7570 Egret White Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 274 Ammonite Near-identical Valspar 7002-2 Oyster Pearl Very close Behr MQ3-18 Ginger Sugar Very close	71	Main walls
Warm Tan `#A9805D`	Valspar 3003-7B Leather Satchel Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9105 Almond Roca Very close Behr MQ2-2 Syrup Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	25	Bed, sofa, curtains
Olive Gold `#989456`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6424 Tansy Green Very close Valspar 6007-6C Crushed Oregano Close Behr S320-6 Garden Salt Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 287 Yeabridge Green Similar	29	One small textile
Brick Red `#8B3630`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7600 Bolero Very close Behr 210D-7 Firebrick Very close Valspar 1009-4 Cut Ruby Close Farrow & Ball No. 248 Incarnadine Similar	8	One bold piece

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 soft 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#C8C8C6

In north light the blue #4A6786 turns cooler and darker. The linen walls at LRV 71 keep the room light.

South-facing room#E7DDCC

In strong south light the tan and brown look warmer, and the olive gold #989456 looks brighter.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C0AE95

Under warm evening bulbs the red #8B3630 and the brown #8B694F deepen and look rich.

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 Walnut Brown and the rug border takes Olive Gold in every combination.

Mood board

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

Soft Linen

Warm Tan

Brick Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Death of the Virgin

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

Cool Color Palette for Home, Paired by Painters Cool

Neutral Exterior Paint Color Schemes for Four House Styles House exterior · Neutral

More palettes like this

Saint Jerome Antonio Vivarini, 1440s

The Agony in the Garden Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi), ca. 1504

Saint Peter and Simon Magus Benozzo Gozzoli (Benozzo di Lese di Sandro)

FAQ

What is the wall color?

The soft linen #E0DAD0, with an LRV of 71.

Where do I use the blue?

As a door, a cabinet or a chair, since it has an LRV of 13.

How much red should I use?

Very little. The brick red covers 5.9% of the painting.

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.