The present portrait was probably painted in New York, where John Butler Yeats moved to from Dublin in 1907. The artist holds a palette and observes himself seriously. It is interesting to draw comparisons with the other self-portraits within this sale, notably the full-length portrait that obsessed him until the end of his career (lot 64). There, although heavily worked, there is a lightness in atmosphere and in the presentation of himself. By contrast, this work bears a gravitas more reminiscent of the Old Masters and in tone is more similar to the small watercolour self-portrait, lot 55, in the sale.