This study for a painted self-portrait is an exercise in layers of illusion. The lower composition shows a canvas bearing a self-portrait, on an easel in an interior with a mirror beyond. A dog looks up to the canvas, believing the portrait to be its master; the cat below would, in the finished painting, appear to be seated 'on' the frame. The upper composition is the portrait to be depicted on the fictive canvas, with a circular mirror reflecting the artist/viewer.

Cat. 7