Portrait of a man, half-length, in a black cap and doublet, holding a sheet of music

A young man is shown in bust-length, clasping a sheet of music in his right hand. Professor Colin Slim has identified the musical score as the opening nine breves of the cantus part to 'S'altra fiamma giamai m'arse, madonna, il core', a madrigal composed by the Florentine Giovanni Animuccia (c. 1500-1571), which was not published until 1551 in Animuccia's Il secondo libro dei madigali a cinque voci, suggesting either that the piece was known in Florentine musical circles some years before its publication, or that it was received by the artist from the composer himself. As Slim observeds, 'by revealing the madrigal's amorous text and depicting folds in the sheet of music, the artist suggests that the young man has just received from a lady friend or is about to send to her this musical message' (loc. cit.).

Varied attributions to Pontormo, Francesco Salviati, Jacopino del Conte, and Jacone have previously been suggested. We are grateful to Carlo Falciani for generously sharing his observations on the attribution (written communication, 8 November 2025).