The scene is one of seduction, as implied by the painting visible in the background depicting Apollo’s pursuit of the nymph Daphne, a tale told in Ovid’s 'Metamorphoses' (I, 452–567). Smoking and drinking were considered dangerous vices in seventeenth-century Holland, so the flagon proffered by the lady and the clay pipes of the gentleman underscore a mood of dangerous moral licence, while the lit candle symbolises the flame of their mutual desire. If the complicit glances of lady and gentleman were not enough to assure us of the outcome of the gentleman’s proposition, the presence of a large bed in the background allays any lingering doubts.