Two Studies (bisected) of a young Man making Music 2, c. 1503

This drawing depicts a youth captured in a graceful contrapposto stance while holding a bow to a stringed instrument. The artist focuses on the precise rendering of the musculature of the legs and the gentle expression of the face, combining a study of anatomy with the observation of a musical performance. The work showcases delicate metalpoint technique, using fine hatching to define light and form.

In the Renaissance Neoplatonic tradition, the lira da braccio was identified as the instrument of Orpheus and was used by figures like Marsilio Ficino to harmonize the soul with the 'musica mundana' of the spheres. This study reflects the period's obsession with the human body as a microcosm of universal harmonic proportions.