Martin Mijtens was born in The Hague and took up residence in Sweden. His son, Martin van Meytens, was born in Stockholm, but worked mainly in Austria. They belonged to an internationally active family of artists. The younger Meytens returned to Stockholm in 1730–31, partly to visit his ageing parents and paint their portraits. In this image, his father, now past 80, holds a skull in his hand, a symbol of mortality and the passage of time.