THE PORTRAIT OF THE MUSICIAN

My semantic reading of the painting starts from certain specific traces, which outline a symbolic micro-structure, visible in the area of the neck and jaw. Here I identify two well-defined forms, one of which is the kite, used again in his later paintings. The neck area appears slightly enlarged, increased in volume, with what seems to be a growth in the skin. I attribute this depiction to a poetic license on Leonardo's part: his intent is to convey a message to us. We can make out the shape of a nude, reclining body and the silhouette of a kite, complete with head, wing, and tail.

The painting is structured like the "presentation" of a written document — a scroll of musical notation held between the fingers. The opening of the garment shows a thin strip of shirt collar, symbolizing a "quill," and at the same time a "candle flame" as if stirred by the air; the rectangular portion of the scroll projects an image resembling a "candle," a signal indicating the precise direction of the symbols transcribed.

Here we can observe Leonardo's intent to create a symbolic construction with the shadow of the chin, jaw, and cheekbone, which outlines the head, beak, and wing of the kite, while the shadow of the throat traces the tail-rudder. Finally, the shape of the "reclining body," visible on the left-hand side, symbolizes the abduction of the young Butes.

Taken together, all these readings and decodings suggest that The Musician is a self-portrait of Leonardo at 33–34 years of age; the painting is essentially testamentary in nature, declaring the origins of his mother Caterina.