The layout of this work is similar to many Italian Old Master paintings in Rome such as 'The Feast in the House of Levi' by Veronese, which Williams copied. It is a perfect example of the artist mixing classical themes with the nineteenth-century realism demanded by his industrial patrons.

This oil painting was commissioned by Josiah Guest as a wedding present to his wife, Lady Charlotte Bertie – the scene was prophetic: she and Josiah had 10 children. Lady Charlotte was so fond of the picture that she had it resting on her writing desk in Dowlais House. This was where she translated the 'Mabinogion' into English and ran the household and Dowlais Works accounts.