Leonardo’s detailed investigations were motivated by the absence of harsh outlines and the illumination of the glazed paint layer that these painters achieved (Dunkerton et al., 1991 Dunkerton et al., 1999). His theoretical studies in the Treatise on painting, were inspired by the achievements of Flemish painters who became the undisputed masters of the handling of the oil medium. But, due to the simple reason that Leonardo’s surviving writings do not contain any explicit references to the methodological innovation he introduced in his paintings, his sfumato technique still remains a target for many art researchers.ĢLeonardo da Vinci was the first writer who systematically examined shadow projection in relation to painting (Kaufmann, 1975). Ranging from vast historical interpretations to narrow technical studies, it might seem that research in this area has been exhaustive. IntroductionġFrom the moment it was created, writers and researchers have been eager to penetrate the processes Leonardo used when creating the Mona Lisa. Gratitude for welcoming this project through the years goes to Ivana Prijatelj Pavicic, Stjepan Ivanisevic, Mladen Culic, Sagita Mirjam Sunara (Arts Academy, Split), Ferdinand Meder, Zoraida Demori Stanicic, Branko Pavazza (Croatian Conservation Institute), Satoko Tanimoto (British Museum, London), Martin Clayton (Royal Library at Windsor Castle, Windsor) and Vincent Delieuvin (Musée du Louvre, Paris). The author gratefully acknowledges helpful discussion and technical support of Arts Academy of the University of Split and financial support of Croatian Conservation Institute.

Mona lisa painting