The painting positions Caesar seated, crowned, and robed in a scarlet toga, as the centre and focus of composition.

The Contemporary Review described the paintings as "a highly realistic, dramatic, not to say sporadic, composition".

"Pitloy paints for effect, his art indeed would be artificial were it not empathetically real.

The perfecting of a sensational style has been with him for a life study.

"[2] The Art Journal stated that it was "truly a great work".