Stourhead House and Gardens belonged to the Hoare family from 1717 until they were given to the National Trust in 1947. In 1817, the date of the present work, it belonged to Sir Richard Colt Hoare (1758-1838) the antiquarian and amateur artist. The house was built by Colen Campbell between 1721 and 1725 with the temples mainly added to the grounds by Henry Hoare between the 1740s and the 1760s. The Pantheon was designed by Henry Flitcroft and work began on it in 1753.
The inscription on the old label suggests that this is based on a sketch by Philip Crocker who is recorded as the 'Head Steward’ at Stourhead in the early 19th Century.