Whether the figure on the left is actually a self-portrait by Raphael is uncertain,[better source needed] although it was already identified as such in a 16th-century print.

Traditionally he was identified as his fencing master, since he holds the hilt of a sword.

[4] Modern art historians consider him a close friend,[5] or possibly one of the painter's pupils, perhaps Polidoro da Caravaggio or Giulio Romano.

Other people associated with the character include Pietro Aretino, Baldassarre Peruzzi and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, as well as other painters such as Il Pordenone or Pontormo, but these hypotheses have been refuted by other portraits.

[9] The painting was owned by Francis I of France and, in the past, was assigned to other artists, including Sebastiano del Piombo.