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These panels act as a thematic pair to the trompe l'oeil that appears in the Blenheim Saloon (RCIN 408444), though whereas the military equipment on show in the Saloon is clearly contemporary, the grisaille panels in the Ramillies staircase allude to the classical world – notably the figures of Mars, god of War, and Hercules, representing strength – placing Marlborough within this context. This fusion of the past and the present is emphasised by the presence of Fame, a grisaille figure who writes Marlborough's triumphs in the annals of history, with the figure of Time behind her. Fame also adds a female presence to the other stridently masculine paintings throughout the rest of the scheme, perhaps reminding visitors that Laguerre had in fact been commissioned directly by the Duchess of Marlborough to celebrate her husband's military endeavours.

These grisaille panels show signs of substantial overpainting and it is possible that very little remains that is original.