Some landscape backgrounds suggest a knowledge of the "sfumato" style of Leonardo da Vinci. The word "sfumato" comes from the Italian language and is derived from "fumo" ("smoke", "fume"). This painting is regarded as a perfect example of Leonardo's "sfumato" technique. Csaba Markus is closely associated with the sfumato technique. Typically Italian style characteristics such as sfumato and clair-obscur are used in Sellaer's work. This is apparent in the use of sfumato in the "Virgin and Child". In these works, he also exhibits mastery of sfumato. He may have introduced the sfumato technique to Isenbrandt. The contours are kept vague and this sfumato effect puts the figures into relief. Sfumato translated into English means soft, vague or blurred.