In 1922, Harald Slott-Møller received a request from the Italian Ministry of Education to donate a self-portrait to the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The present painting is a study for this portrait (Inv. No. 8484 at the Galleria degli Uffizi). The reason for the commission was Slott-Møller's connection to Italy and interest in Italian art. The Uffizi already owned self-portraits by the Danish artists Carl Bloch (1834–1890), Otto Bache (1839–1927), P.S. Krøyer (1851–1909) and Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916).

In “Harald Slott-Møller - Erindring og Værk”, 2025, art historian Anne Christiansen describes the finished self-portrait as follows (in Danish): “Slott-Møller has depicted himself as a tall, slender and thoughtful man in midlife; he is dressed in a noble, dark suit and stands in front of a brick wall partly covered with virginia creeper with blue grapes. Brick production was invented in Northern Italy in the Middle Ages and was soon imitated in Denmark; at about the same time, wine began to be grown here, which was done in greenhouses and up south-facing walls. Bricks and virginia creeper thus refer to the Danish artist's great love for and attachment to Italy. Many painters chose to portray themselves with a brush and/or palette, but Slott-Møller did something else. He focused on (the mirror image of) his painting hand. It seems very light and large, as it rests on the dark cloth on his chest and grasps the gold chain he wears around his neck. It is the watch chain that Agnes gave him for his 50th birthday in 1914, a chain that he had long wanted. In this discreet way, Harald included his wife in the self-portrait; she was also his great love and unwavering support throughout their marriage. [...]” (p. 309).