This study is among the very earliest drawings by Burne-Jones for the 'Holy Grail Tapestries'.

In an interview published in the 'Studio' in July 1894, William Morris said that: 'The original studies [were] not above 15 inches high. The figures are grouped and drawn from carefully prepared studies: for the rest there is but little minuteness of detail and they are only slightly tinted.' This description matches the drawing.

The strong cartoon-like outline drawing in this piece may suggest at least the partial contribution of Burne-Jones's studio assistant Thomas Matthew Rooke (1842-1942).