What colors are in the "Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1" palette?

Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1 contains 3 colors: Spinel Red (#f27291), Vandyke Red (#82241f), Turquoise Green (#b5decc). From Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933).

When was the "Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1" palette created?

This palette is from Sanzo Wada's 1933 reference work "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada documented historical Japanese color combinations from the showa era and earlier periods. The source work is in the public domain.

What style or era does the "Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1" palette belong to?

Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1 is associated with the showa era and emphasizes red tones. Plate 147 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spinel Red, Vandyke Red, Turquoise Green.

Can I use the "Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1" palette in my own design?

Yes. The source palette by Sanzo Wada (1933) is in the public domain. This page's curation and metadata are CC BY 4.0 licensed — attribution to colorcombinations.org appreciated but not required for the colors themselves.

Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1 — The Dictionary of Color Combinations

About this combination

Combination 147 of 348 in Wada's six-volume 1933 work. A 3-colour grouping of Spinel Red, Vandyke Red, Turquoise Green, as documented in the original plates.

Historical context

Plate 147 of Wada's 348 anchors Spinel Red, Vandyke Red and Turquoise Green in the red family — a 3-colour grouping with a refined, warm character, recorded in the Showa-era volumes of Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, where these shikisai names have sat in the public domain for generations. Its strongest pairing — Vandyke Red on Turquoise Green — reaches a contrast ratio of 6.43:1, meeting the WCAG AA bar for body text, so it holds up for text-on-colour layouts as well as decorative use.

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Details

Era: Showa
Dominant hue: red
Moods: refined, warm
Colors: 3

Accessibility

WCAG contrast ratios between every color pair. Use the strongest combinations for text; the weakest ones make good decorative backgrounds.

Strongest pair: Vandyke Red on Turquoise Green — 6.43:1 (AA)

Spinel Red·Vandyke Red3.42:1AA Large
Spinel Red·Turquoise Green1.88:1Fail
Vandyke Red·Turquoise Green6.43:1AA

How to read this

AAA: Passes WCAG 2.1 AAA for normal text — the highest accessibility bar.
AA: Passes WCAG 2.1 AA for normal text. Standard production requirement.
AA Large: Passes WCAG 2.1 AA for large text only (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). Avoid for body copy.
Fail: Below WCAG 2.1 AA. Fine for decorative use — not for text.

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Preview

From the editorial · Long read

The Four Reds: Kurenai, Akane, Shu, Entan

Why Japanese tradition distinguishes safflower crimson from madder from vermilion from lead red — and which to reach for when the brief asks for 'a Japanese red.'

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Related combinations

Three palettes with a similar feel.

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Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo

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Spinel Red & Vandyke Red +1

About this combination

Historical context

Embed this palette

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The Four Reds: Kurenai, Akane, Shu, Entan

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Pale Blue & Vermillion— 浅葱と朱

Celadon & Unbleached— 青磁と生成

Indigo Blue & Silver— 縹と銀

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀

Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo

Vandyke Red & Pale King's Blue

Eugenia Red | B & Sea Green