The artist has painted himself in the very centre of the painting, his body twisted into a pose reminding us of the 'contraposto' - literally meaning 'counterpoise' - often used in Italian art. The artist had just returned from Italy, a fact underlined by the image of the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli in the painting on his easel.

For much of this and previous periods, many English artists felt insecure of their ability to develop a home-grown style and instead borrowed stylistically from other countries.

This self-portrait can therefore be seen as an advertisement of the artist's up-to-date style to clients who might want to commission a portrait of their own.

The viewpoint is slightly lowered, giving the composition a subtle drama. The artist shows himself with the tools of his trade, palette and brushes, and the diagonals of the easel emphasise his pose.

Thomas Barker (1767-1847), known as 'Barker of Bath', was about to build his own Doric House at this time, just across the road from Sir William Holburne’s house in Cavendish Crescent.

He belonged to a dynasty of painters that began with his father and started his own career, not by making studies from life, but by copying from the grand masters and learning to paint in the French, Italian and Dutch styles.