 Detail of the face of Mona Lisa showing the use of sfumato, particularly in the shading around the eyes. Sfumato is a term coined by Leonardo da Vinci to refer to a painting technique which overlays translucent layers of color to create perceptions of depth, volume and form. In particular, it refers to the blending of colours or tones, so subtly that there is no perceptible transition.
In Italian sfumato means "blended" with connotations of "smoky" and is derived from the Italian word fumo meaning 'smoke'. Leonardo described sfumato as 'without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke'.
One of the best examples of a sfumato painting is the Mona Lisa.
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