"De paré les Dames" roughly translated means "To ward off the women", in this there is a hidden implication of Burne-Jones's vulnerability to feminine charm. George Howard's intimacy with the artist meant that he was completely au fait with the details of the recent affair with Zambaco. It also indicates that George Howard was aware of the autobiographical element in many of Burne-Jones's paintings as it refers to the Pygmalion Series and it contrasts the nudes in the paintings with the outside world, indicated by the fashionable women walking by under their umbrellas.