Born in the French city of Tours and trained in Paris, Claude Vignon was active in Rome between about 1610 and 1623. As a member of the community of expatriate artists that also included Valentin de Boulogne, Vignon was exposed to the influence of Caravaggio's realism, the vivid coloring of Venetian art, and the landscapes of northern painters (like Paul Bril) who worked in Rome.

This painting recounts the myth of Narcissus, a handsome youth who caught sight of his reflection in a pool of water and became so enamored of his own beauty that he remained there until he died.

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