Owning to my previous research of  Leonardo’s painting technique, which I have presented on the international scientific symposium The examination of Old Masters drawings at the British Museum (London, 2010.), I have gained an exclusive opportunity to participate in very important meeting of the expert team of art historians and restorers. The meeting was held in restoration centre (C2RMF) at the Louvre on January the 5th 2011.

Namely, for the past few years the Department of Painting at the Louvre in collaboration with C2RMF, has undertook a systematic examination of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. After non-invasive study of Mona Lisa in 2004., Virgin and Child with St. Anne was investigated in 2008., providing us an insight into the stratigraphy of the painted layer. In November 2010., the painting was returned to the restoration studio of the C2RMF, where it will be restored to it’s previous glory.

This technical meeting was an exclusive opportunity to discuss the technology and the restoration of Leonardo's paintings between several leading experts from France, England and Italy. The members of the team where: Cinzia Pasquali – freelance restorer from Rome, Vincent Delieuvin - curator of the Department of paintings at the Louvre, Pierre Curie - Curator and Head of the Painting department of C2RMF-a and Martin Clayton - curator of the Print room of the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle (UK).

Presentation of historicaly accurate reconstruction of the sfumato technique was mine contribution to this meeting. The study has originated on the published results of technical analysis conducted by the C2RMF and examinations of historical sources and artistic treatises from the Renaissance period. My primary objective was to introduce a hypothesis about the method of reconstructing Leonardo’s sfumato effect. This research was supported trough experimental construction of two historicaly accurate replicas of Leonardo’s famous paintings - Mona Lisa and The Virgin and Child with St. Anne.