This tapestry is inspired by the artist’s visit to an area in south east England, which reportedly had the highest average household income in the UK. The kitchen table at the centre is like a still life of objects showing Tim’s middle class wealth: organic vegetables, a cafetière of coffee, a jug of fresh flowers and homemade jam. Tim’s computer software business has been very successful and the headlines on the newspaper on the table and on the iPad announce that he has just sold his company to a billionaire businessman for a large amount of money.
The focal point of the scene is Tim’s business partner, standing in the middle in a yellow dress, telling him the good news. In this tapestry Perry makes reference to three different 15th century paintings of the biblical Annunciation. The vegetables come from Carlo Crivelli’s depiction of the Annunciation, his colleague’s expression from Matthias Grünewald and the jug of lilies from Robert Campin. The central convex mirror and discarded shoes are motifs displaying wealth and status that are used in The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck.