A number of versions or variants exist, including drawings from his own hand, and paintings attributed to his workshop.

[2] It remained in Titian's studio in the Biri Grande, Venice, until his death, which some art historian see as evidence that it was intended as a study,[6] although it may just have been simply because it was unfinished.

[7] The Italian painter, architect, and writer Giorgio Vasari wrote in 1568 that Titian had made a number of self-portraits for his family to remember him by, and it is likely that this was one, given that it was not sold in his lifetime.

While the origins of the motif are unknown, it is probably intended to connect him with scholarship; similar headgear is often associated with Aristotle and St Jerome.

[2] The portrait is in half length, with Titian in three-quarters profile view, seated behind a table, looking out into the distance.

[10] He is shown with strong shoulders and a keen, alert gaze,[2] in which some detect an air "of combativeness...disquietude...and misgiving".