There is some dispute about the meaning of Vecchia's painting. Was Vecchia drawing his inspiration from a literary source now lost to us? Does the painting represent the contrast of age and youth? The 9th Earl of Burghley House described the painting as "envy plucking the wings of youth." This interpretation seems to fit Vecchia's work and illumine its meaning. The angered Envy clutches the newly plucked feathers of Youth as she pleads in vain.