Purple wall art: 12 paintings in violet and plum
Hilma af Klint’s lavender Adulthood, Gauguin’s violet portrait, Blake’s flames and a Mughal lion’s court: twelve rare paintings in lilac, violet and plum.
Purple was the rarest colour in the old painter’s box. There was no good purple pigment until the 19th century, so painters mixed it or saved it for kings and visions. That makes a purple picture special.
Here are twelve, in three groups: lavender and lilac, violet and mauve, and plum and aubergine. Soft lavenders calm a bedroom; deep plums make a study or dining room feel luxurious.
Lavender and lilac
Soft purples for bedrooms and quiet rooms.
1. The Ten Largest, No. 6, Adulthood
Hilma af Klint, The Ten Largest, No. 6, Adulthood, 1907. Tempera on paper, mounted on canvas. Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.
Hilma af Klint painted the four pictures of Adulthood in The Ten Largest on soft lavender grounds in 1907.
Lavender, black and blush.
2. The Ten Largest, No. 8, Adulthood
Hilma af Klint, The Ten Largest, No. 8, Adulthood, 1907. Tempera on paper, mounted on canvas. Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.
Number eight of Hilma af Klint’s Ten Largest, Adulthood, painted in 1907.
Lilac, powder blue and rose.
3. The Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood
Hilma af Klint, The Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood, 1907. Tempera on paper, mounted on canvas. Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.
Number seven of the Ten Largest, also Adulthood, from 1907.
Lilac, lemon and coral.
4. View of Mount Vernon
Joachim Ferdinand Richardt, View of Mount Vernon, 1858. Oil on canvas. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
Danish painter Ferdinand Richardt painted George Washington’s home in 1858, during his years in America.
Lavender sky, olive lawn and stone.
Create your portrait in this style
Violet and mauve
Richer purples for living rooms and studies.
5. Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne
Paul Gauguin, Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne, 1890. Oil on linen canvas. Art Institute of Chicago.
Paul Gauguin painted this portrait in 1890 in front of a Cézanne still life that he owned and treasured.
Violet, rose and jade.
6. Ulysses and Diomedes Swathed in the Same Flame
William Blake, Ulysses and Diomedes Swathed in the Same Flame, 1824-27.
William Blake made this watercolour for Dante’s Inferno in the last years of his life, 1824–27.
Violet, navy and flame.
7. Actor Iwai Hanshirō V
Utagawa Kunisada, Actor Iwai Hanshirō V, Edo period, circa 1825. Right panel from an ukiyo-e woodblock-printed "koban"-format triptych; ink, color and embossing on paper. Harvard Art Museums.
Utagawa Kunisada made this print around 1825 as one panel of a set of actors.
Mauve, peach and slate.
8. Self-Portrait
Arnold Böcklin, Self-Portrait, 1898-99.
Arnold Böcklin painted this late self portrait in 1898–99, two years before his death.
Plum, ochre and stone.
Plum and aubergine
Deep purples for dining rooms and dark bedrooms.
9. Tsumagome
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tsumagome, 1852.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi made this print in 1852 from the legend of Kuzunoha, a fox who married a man.
Plum, teal and cream.
10. The Lion's Counsel
Mughal painter, The Lion's Counsel, c. 1560. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper. Cleveland Museum of Art.
This page of the Tuti-nama, the Tales of a Parrot, was painted in Akbar’s studio around 1560.
Plum, teal and ochre.
11. Virgin and Child
Workshop of Adriaen Isenbrant, Virgin and Child, c. 1520. Oil on panel. Art Institute of Chicago.
The workshop of Adriaen Isenbrant in Bruges painted this small devotional panel around 1520.
Aubergine, rose and moss.
12. Writing a Love Letter in Bed
Suzuki Harunobu, Writing a Love Letter in Bed, Edo period, circa 1765-1770. Ukiyo-e woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Harvard Art Museums.
Suzuki Harunobu made this quiet print around 1765–70.
Plum, buttercup and sage.
Purple pairs with sage, olive, mustard, gold, blush and grey. Lavender suits white and pale grey rooms; plum suits deep green, ochre and velvet. For more, see pink wall art, calming bedroom colours and moody wall art.
Questions
What colours go with purple art?
Sage and olive green, mustard, gold, blush, cream and soft grey.
Is lavender art good for a bedroom?
Yes. Lavender and lilac are soft and restful, especially with white linen and pale wood.
What walls suit plum art?
Deep green, ochre, warm grey and cream walls set off plum beautifully.
Why is purple rare in old paintings?
Good purple pigments were scarce until the 19th century, so painters mixed it from red and blue or used it sparingly.