This painting was inspired by John Keats' poem of the same name. On the Eve of Saint Agnes, girls are supposed to have a vision of their future husband. In the poem Madeline takes this custom very seriously. As a joke her lover Porphyro has been hidden in her closet by a servant. Porphyro watches her from the closet. When Madeline lays down in bed, he puts his face above hers. She is startled but overjoyed, and they elope.
