Il Merlo Maschio poster

The use of music and instruments as metaphors for sex and intimacy persists in the modern day. This poster advertises the 1971 Italian erotic comedy Il Merlo Maschio, which features an insecure cellist who fixates on publicly displaying his wife’s beauty. In an effort to boost his fragile self-esteem, the musician photographs her in his cello case and shares the objectifying images among his peers in the orchestra. Finally, he replaces his instrument with her scantily clothed body during a concert in Verona’s colosseum, where she is displayed to all as his cello.