The painting depicts the prima ballerina Alicia Markova in her most famous role, The Dying Swan, from which she became inseparable in the minds of the public; it is for this reason that the artist painted the swan and Markova as one and the same being.

[2] While the Royal Ballet were touring South Africa, Tretchikoff sat in at a rehearsal in Cape Town, where he saw Markova perform "The Dying Swan".

Moved by the experience, he approached Markova's manager and asked for permission to paint her.

However, Markova had little free time to model for the painting, so Tretchikoff was obliged to work around her schedule.

By the time he had painted the background and the outline of the swan (which he modelled on a dead duck), the company had already moved on.