Elihu Vedder's interest in ancient Egypt was inspired in part by archaeological discoveries, including the 1858 excavation of the Great Sphinx at Giza. In Greek mythology, the sphinx—half woman and half lion—demanded that travelers answer her riddle, strangling those who failed. Surrounded by architectural ruins, a shipwreck, and the skulls of her victims, Vedder's sphinx reflects the fascination with women as dangerous and erotic femmes fatales.