Portrait of a Musician

The key to this portrait was hidden for centuries. A restoration in 1904 and 1905 stripped away overpainting and revealed what the sitter is holding: a sheet of music. Suddenly the intent gaze reads differently, less a pose for posterity than someone hearing a phrase in his head. The panel was left largely unfinished, and nobody agrees on who he is; a Milan Cathedral choirmaster and a musician friend of Leonardo are the names most often proposed. That uncertainty is part of the appeal for musicians. This is a portrait of a working player, defined by his score rather than his title.