Olof Arenius was not only a leading portraitist of the Age of Liberty, but also influential as a teacher to several 18th-century Swedish artists. In this self-portrait, possibly made while Arenius was still a student in Holland in the 1730s, he has depicted himself in the continental manner, wearing a cap and with a self-assured air. His brushwork is free and his use of line sure. He no doubt found his models in contemporary British or German art.