Showa era
Raw Sienna & Veronia Purple
Plate 13 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Veronia Purple.
#8c4c62
purple · 4 palettes
Veronia Purple
About Veronia Purple
Veronia Purple is a mid-tone, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #8c4c62 — that is
RGB 140, 76, 98, or HSL 339°, 30%, 42%.
It holds 6.3:1 contrast against white, so Veronia Purple works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 6.3:1; on black 3.3:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Veronia Purple appears in 4 combinations — most often paired with Raw Sienna, Sepia and Lemon Yellow.
Colours that go with Veronia Purple
From a standard colour wheel, Veronia Purple anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#8c4c62 #4C8C76
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#8c4c62 #8C4C82 #8C564C
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#8c4c62 #628C4C #4C628C
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#8c4c62 #4C8C56 #4C828C
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Veronia Purple
Veronia Purple is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 339°, 30%, 42%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (6.3:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#4C8C76) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#8C4C82 and #8C564C) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Veronia Purple off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
-
...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
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Palettes with Veronia Purple
Veronia Purple appears in 4 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Veronia Purple
- What is the hex code for Veronia Purple?
- Veronia Purple is #8c4c62. It appears in 4 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Veronia Purple look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Veronia Purple (#8c4c62) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 6.32:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 3.33:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Veronia Purple come from?
- Veronia Purple is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued purple pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Veronia Purple in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#8c4c62) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.
- All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
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