According to one possible interpretation, the painting is an allegorical portrait of a patrician disguised as a shepherd. The figure is shown holding a recorder and a staff in one hand while gesturing with the other toward a background scene that includes a bagpiper, a flock of sheep, farm buildings, and an imposing, ruined classical building. The simply dressed shepherd wears a wide-brimmed hat that casts a shadow over his eyes, and a flask hangs from his belt.
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