Arcimboldo utlized objects in his assemblage portraits that typically held some connection to the person's life. Art historian Sven Alfons was the first to conclude The Librarian was an eccentric depiction of Wolfgang Lazius, a humanist and historian who served Holy Roman Emperors of the House of Hapsburg.

In this painting, the viewer sees a man facing to the left and comprised wholly of books seemingly arranged haphazardly.