Giovanni Battista Grati was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period. After his training in Bologna, he specialised in religious painting and worked in several cities, including Bolzano and Cortona, where his paintings are still to be seen in its churches today. He also produced altarpieces for several churches in his birthplace of Bologna after his return. In addition, he painted religious art for private commissioners. In 1719, he was appointed director of the Academy of Arts in Bologna and taught at the academy for decades. His self-portrait, which is the model for this portrait, came to the Uffizi in 1768 as part of a collection donated to the museum. It was moved from the gallery to the depot as early as 1790.