Salvator Mundi

Salvator Mundi (1500) by Leonardo da Vinci. Its palette is led by bistre (#221d13, 36%) and dark taupe (#3b3328, 35%), with accents of light sand. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color note

Leonardo built his tones from many thin, translucent layers, the soft-edged technique called sfumato. Centuries of yellowed varnish now sit over his paintings, so their colors read warmer and more yellow than when he painted them.

Palette

#221d13 MG 219 bistre 36.2% of canvas
#3b3328 MG 177 dark taupe 35.2% of canvas
#6a4f31 MG 167 brown 16.2% of canvas
#7f6541 MG 178 rich orange ochre 6.9% of canvas
#bfaa7c MG 181 light sand 5.4% of canvas

Color families

Brown 49%, Black 30%, Gray 18%, Yellow 2%, Blue 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.35
Contrast: 0.44
Vividness: 0.026
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 100 cells
Hue range: 0.04
Focus: 0.26

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the left half, 62% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.68 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 52% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 26% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1500
Medium: Oil and noyer on walnut panel
Size: 65.7 × 45.4 cm
Genre: religious art
Collection: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi

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