The present watercolour was executed as a result of Lear's first trip with Franklin Lushington (1823-1901), who became one of Lear's closest friends and regular travelling companions. The two had met just a few months previously in Malta, after Lear's first trip to Egypt at the beginning of the year. This visit was physically demanding as they were travelling through the some of the most remote mountainous areas of Greece. However, Lear was captivated by the scenery, writing, 'the beauty of this part of Greece can hardly be imagined: - all the exquisite plains of the coast are seen through magnificent forests & ilex and oak' (P. Levi, E. Lear: A Biography, 1996, p. 122).
The monastery at Mega Spilaio, Kalavryta, in the Peloponnese Peninsula, is built around a cave in the side of the cliffs. Lear's visit came seven years before his famous tour of the monasteries of Mount Athos.