Despite its title, this painting is, essentially, simply a representation of a moderately aged man with a curling mustache. His outfit is baroquesque.

This painting can be identified as the representation of a musketeer just by alluding to other musketeer pictures, of which Picasso delivered a vast number. In this adaptation he shed the musketeer's standard sword and channel, however described him by including other trademark traits of the breed, for example, hairdo, mustache and outfit. The way to a genuine understanding of this work is supplied by the engraving on the back; "Domenico Theotocopoulos van Rijn da Silva". As indicated by Papies, this "delightful work of his [Picasso's] seniority" was a "hidden picture toward oneself" in which he "admitted to remaining on the shoulders of the Old Masters, El Greco, Titian, and Diego Velazquez". ". El Greco's genuine, Greek name was "Domenico Theotocopoulos"; "Tiziano Vecelli" was Titian's full name; and Velazquez's full name was Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez.

Picasso's fondness with seventeenth-century Spanish and Dutch painting is plainly showed here again. The outfit, however considered in a cutting edge way, is that of the officials and senior residents of seventeenth-century Spain and the Netherlands. Picasso was altogether acquainted with the qualities of this manifestation of dress from works of art of that period, particularly paintings of Rembrandt, whose impact is reflected in numerous a greater amount of the Spaniard's portraits.