The work is characterized by Nils Dardel's use of intense colors and undulating forms,[2] and is considered symbolic of superficial beauty.

The meaning of the blackened mirror is ambiguous; title seems to suggest that the dying man's last thought was for his appearance, possibly meant as a parody of the deathbed portrait as a genre.

The high price paid by financier Fredrik Roos [sv] at the time has been seen as symptomatic of a capitalist art market.

Four years later, in 1988, Roos sold the painting for 13 million kronor, which was again considered to be very high, to the financier Hans Thulin [sv].

[5] On April 4, 2007, a smaller version of the painting in watercolor was sold for 3.25 million crowns to a Swedish collector via auction firm Bukowskis.