A portrait of the composer and performer, Héctor Pinelli, a violinist and conductor from a family of music lovers. He appears in elongated profile, turned to the left. In his hands, he holds the violin and bow that brought him such fame.

The strong light directed at the model's face recalls how light was used in seventeenth-century portraits, and that is what brings out the pale tones of his face against the darker overall palette. The hands and musical instruments are more sketchily rendered.

This work was acquired on 18 November 1940 for the Museum of Modern Art.