Francis Dicksee, the son of Thomas Dicksee a prominent London artist, was a portraitist and painter of historical, genre subjects but he is best remembered for his Orientalist style of painting.

The young Dicksee studied painting with his father then at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1876, he won a gold medal for his first painting, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy. From then on he had a long and prosperous career exhibiting a total of 153 canvases at the Academy.

Francis' paintings are richly colored and opulently costumed, drawing on mythological, biblical and literary sources to depict chivalrous or romantic themes. In the 1890's he turned to painting scenes from contemporary life and also the more lucrative work of a society portraitist. A great admirer of the Venetian masters, he was amongst the last representatives of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

Dicksee became an Associate Member of the Royal Academy in 1881, a full member in 1891, and finally its President in 1924, after which he was then knighted.