Showa era
Vistoris Lake & Laelia Pink +2
Plate 337 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Laelia Pink, Violet Carmine, Black.
#713b4c
purple · 1 palette
Violet Carmine
About Violet Carmine
Violet Carmine is a deep, muted purple tone. Its hex value is #713b4c — that is
RGB 113, 59, 76, or HSL 341°, 31%, 34%.
It holds 8.6:1 contrast against white, so Violet Carmine works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 8.6:1; on black 2.4:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Violet Carmine appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Vistoris Lake, Laelia Pink and Black.
Colours that go with Violet Carmine
From a standard colour wheel, Violet Carmine anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#713b4c #3B7160
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#713b4c #713B67 #71453B
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#713b4c #4C713B #3B4C71
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#713b4c #3B7145 #3B6771
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Violet Carmine
Violet Carmine is a deep, muted tone (HSL 341°, 31%, 34%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (8.6:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#3B7160) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#713B67 and #71453B) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Violet Carmine 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
See price on Amazon -
...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
See price on Amazon -
...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.
Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
See price on Amazon
Amazon Associates affiliate links — your price is unchanged and a small commission keeps the archive free. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Palettes with Violet Carmine
Violet Carmine appears in 1 combination from the archive. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Violet Carmine
- What is the hex code for Violet Carmine?
- Violet Carmine is #713b4c. It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Violet Carmine look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Violet Carmine (#713b4c) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 8.63:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 2.43:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Violet Carmine come from?
- Violet Carmine 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 Violet Carmine in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#713b4c) 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
- Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
- Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
- CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
- 378 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
See what's inside
Launching soon. The free archive stays free, always.