How trees and buildings look under an overcast sky
The varied greens of trees in the countryside
A short passage of Leonardo's painting theory, written at the top of the left leaf (114v) while the right leaf (113r) is blank apart from show-through. It observes that when the sun is veiled by cloud, lights and shadows barely differ and the edges of trees and buildings dissolve into haze. It then catalogues the many natural greens of country trees, from the near-black of firs and cypresses to the reddening of autumn cherries and the whitish tone of willows and olives. Further untranscribed text continues at the foot of the page.
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Overcast light flattens shadow
When the sun is covered by clouds, things lose their distinctness, for there is little difference between the lights and shadows of trees and buildings. Lit by the vastness of the open air, they cast few shadows, and those few fade until their boundaries vanish into haze.
The many greens of country trees
Trees in the countryside are of various natures of green: some almost black, like firs, pines, cypresses, laurels and box; some yellowish, like walnut, pear, vine and young growth; some dark-yellow, like chestnut and oak; some reddening toward autumn, like service-tree, pomegranate and cherry; and some whitish, like willow, olive and reed.