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This is a painting which depicts a scene in ancient Rome. Three women are pictured on a wide stone balcony; one stands holding a tray of food from which she feeds fish in a pond, another lies along the balcony, and the third sits, looking down with flowers beside her. The very dark blue sea is in contrast to the pale sky in the background. The verse on the frame is from Wordsworth's poem 'Gold and Silver Fishes in a Vase'. He wonders what captive life must be like for the fish yet cannot help taking pleasure in their loveliness. The women 'trapped' in this painting are admired by the viewer for their beauty and, like the fish, seem indolent and slightly bored.