This painting is part of the 'Villa dei Misteri' series of paintings of 2008, inspired by the Villa of the Mysteries (Italian: Villa dei Misteri) a well-preserved suburban ancient Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy. It is famous for the series of exquisite frescos which are usually interpreted as showing the initiation of a bride into a Greco-Roman mystery cult. These are now among the best known of the relatively rare survivals of Ancient Roman painting from the 1st century BC. As an artist I was intrigued by cultural metaphysics and initiation rites.