The painting is a masterpiece of Moroni's old age and the result of in-depth research into this portraiture scheme. The Dante's chair on which the elderly gentleman sits is placed slightly diagonally, so as to effectively convey the sense of depth. The man is wearing a fur-lined overcoat and grips the armrest with his right hand, while in his left he holds a small book: he has just stopped reading and turns proudly towards us, staring at us with a questioning look. The wide backdrop increases the psychological intensity of the portrait, played on a selected range of greys, browns and blacks. The character depicted has not yet been identified, but it has been suggested that Pietro Spino, a scholar and historian originally from Albino, is recognized as the artist.