Signed and inscribed: top centre HYMENAEUS bottom left EJB. LEI with sprig of and olive branch Hymenaeus, the Greek god of marriage, is depicted officiating a nuptial ceremony. The composition recalls ancient funerary monuments, compositionally echoing the classical subject matter. Stylistically the painting reveals the influence of the Italian Renaissance, and Michelangelo in particular, with the sculptural focus on the body and the fall of the drapery. Burne-Jones’ interest in this period reached a climax in his journey to Italy in 1871.
Burne-Jones has chosen the flower flax to decorate the base of the painting which in "Floral Emblems" by Henry Phillips, 1825 represents fate. This, within the context of the painting significantly representing a secular marriage, gives it an autobiographical resonance as it was painted during the intense period of his relationship with Maria and introduces an element of wishful thinking.