Benjamin West helped establish the painting tradition in the United States. Born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, West showed artistic talent at a young age. He was encouraged to study history, art, and antiquity in Europe, and in 1760, West became the first American artist to study in Italy. In 1763, he went to London in 1763, where King George III made him a member of the Royal Academy. West spent the rest of his life in London, keeping an open-door policy for American artists traveling abroad.

By 1789, when this picture was painted, West was at the height of his career. King George III had given him a series of commissions to decorate Windsor Castle, including a project for a ceiling in the reception room of the Queen's Lodge, where the royal family was living. This painting was created as a model for the central panel of the ceiling. The figures represent a winged male descending upon the female personifications of Sculpture, Painting, Architecture, Music, and Astronomy.