On the back of this painting the artist wrote (in French): “My room at the reception of my first letter from my family, 1817.” In 1817, Cogniet won the Prix de Rome for history painting, a state prize that allowed him to live and work at the Villa Medici for a period of five years. The helmet, shield, and swords depicted reference the expected history paintings to come. (http://books0977.tumblr.com/post/154701721632/the-artist-in-his-room-at-the-villa-medici-rome)