Northern Renaissance · 1440s
The Descent from the Cross
The Descent from the Cross (1440s) by Rogier van der Weyden. Its palette is led by very dark umber (#261e0e, 20%) and dark umber (#3f3519, 20%), with accents of golden olive, very dark rich sienna, dark muted azure blue and oatmeal. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.
Color reading
Brown and black cover about nine-tenths of the canvas. Its most vivid color, dark muted azure blue #1C4C73, takes up just 5% of it.
Palette
- #261e0e MG 187 very dark umber 20.0% of canvas
- #3f3519 MG 186 dark umber 19.9% of canvas
- #000000 MG 224 black 18.8% of canvas
- #060506 MG 224 black 13.2% of canvas
- #746c54 MG 192 golden olive 12.1% of canvas
- #4b160d MG 149 very dark rich sienna 7.4% of canvas
- #1c4c73 MG 098 dark muted azure blue 4.5% of canvas
- #b4ae8e MG 172 oatmeal 4.1% of canvas
Color families
Brown 46%, Black 44%, Blue 6%, Gray 4%, Yellow 0%
Measurements
Composition
51% of the visual weight is in the right half, 55% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.62 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 16% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 32% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.
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