This is among Aitchison’s first paintings of the lily, one of the artist’s favourite flowers due to its simple and elegant shape. The painting is primarily a still life, dominated by the single flower in a vase, yet it also contains both landscape and religious elements. The lily takes on a religious significance, due to the presence of the small Crucifixion in the background. Yet the composition remains simple and balanced, with echoes of shapes and tones throughout the painting. The pink triangular cloth on which the vase sits reflects the shape of the hill in the background and the coloured line beneath, and the artist has balanced the intense red with a patterned vase and a landscape view, without any one element dominating.