The present work depicts the elegant interior of Patrick William Adam's house, Ardilea, in North Berwick, from where he lived from 1902 until his death in 1929. It is part of a series of interiors he first began in 1909, exhibiting them at the Royal Scottish Academy, and for which he became best known. The subject allowed him to explore the effects of light, his mastery of which is evident in the gilt chairs, the stream of sunshine through the window, and the reflections on the floor, table top and ornaments of the present painting. There is a stillness and beauty that recalls the 17th century Dutch interiors, although here approached with a freer, Impressionist brushwork.

Patrick William Adam was a key figure within the modernist group of Scottish painters at the turn of the 20th century. Himself, James Paterson, David Alison, Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell and Sir John Lavery founded the Society of Eight in Edinburgh in 1913, and became a critical movement in brining Impressionist principles to Scottish art. Adam's interiors had a particular impact on the celebrated Colourist, F. C. B. Cadell, inspiring his own take on the subject in the 1920s. Both shared an appreciation for space and arrangement, light and colour.

Interior, Ardilea, North Berwick was in the famous collection of Ann and Gordon Getty, whose principal residence in San Francisco was an impressive historic townhouse. Reminiscent of the great townhouses of London, it represented the culmination of a lifetime of collecting and was known as the most celebrated interior in America (Ann was a renowned interior designer). The collection included paintings by Canaletto, Matisse and Mary Cassat, important 18th century English furniture and masterpieces of French ormolu. One can readily appreciate why Adam's sophisticated interior would have appealed to Ann Getty.