Within King Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, King George V stands, centre, at the foot of the altar at which the sacrament is raised; The King is attended by Knights of the Order of the Bath and by two pages who carry his train; he wears the mantle and collar of the Order over military uniform. The Dean of Westminster stands at the altar; the Duke of Connaught stands behind King George V.

The most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I in 1725. The Order was revised by Queen Victoria, but King George V revived the Installation ceremony after his accession to the throne in 1910. Salisbury had originally made sketches of the 1924 installation ceremony, which the Duke of Connaught had seen and liked; however the King was not present due to ill health. Salisbury was apparently prepared to paint the picture for the love of it, as he had always felt the ceremony would make a wonderful subject. The moment depicted in the painting follows the installation of the new Knights by the Great Master, when the Sovereign, attended by the Great Master makes reverence towards the Altar and is about to make his Offering of gold and silver.

In his autobiography, Salisbury recalled: 'It was the "The King's Offering" which gave me the best subject for my picture, which I made fourteen feet by seven feet wide. In starting the work I adopted a new plan, painting the scene from models before beginning the portraits. The Dean was my first sitter, followed by the King, of whom I painted one of my best portraits… '

On its completion in 1929 the painting was generously presented to the Order of the Bath by the artist (although he had originally wanted three thousand guineas for it). The picture was accepted by the Great Master (the Duke of Connaught) on behalf of the King, who commanded that it be hung in the East Corridor of the First Floor at Buckingham Palace. On 18 July 1929 Frederick Ponsonby wrote to Salisbury saying: "Your picture of the King's Offering has arrived here and has been hung up in the corridor…His Majesty desires me to tell you how much pleased he is to posses this interesting picture, and how much he appreciates your kindness in presenting it to the Order of the Bath."

Salisbury was commissioned to paint numerous important national events and royal ceremonies, including the Passing of the Unknown Warrior, 1920 (RCIN 404458), the Marriage of Princess Mary, 1922 (RCIN 404482) and the Coronation of King George VI, dated 1938 (RCIN 407573). His skill often lies in the orchestration of figures against an impressive architectural background. In his obituary of 1 September 1962, the Times noted: 'He was a clever portraitist; not only in capturing a likeness but in his decorative disposition of figures…He had a decorative ability suited to the tasks he undertook and his huge compositions of state ceremony... were grouped with unfailing efficacy.'