The decoration of the Green Dining Room at the South Kensington Museum (later the V&A) was one the first major public commissions for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. The company was set up by William Morris (1834–96) with a group of fellow artists and designers. This commission was for an important public building. It was therefore vital in establishing the reputation of the business. This is one of eight preliminary designs for the painted panels that were to be set into the upper part of the panelling that covered the lower part of the walls in the Dining Room. Although Burne-Jones drew the original designs, Morris & Co. employed several different painters to paint the panels. Morris was unhappy with the resulting variations of style. He had them all repainted by Charles Fairfax Murray.