Lord Henry is a great lover of beauty. When he visits his friend Basil at his studio and sees the portrait of the beautiful young Dorian Gray, he is intrigued. He is even more intrigued when Basil says he won't show it and asks why. Basil describes seeing Dorian for the first time at a party, feeling fascinated and spellbound and realizing he could become dissolved under the spell of Dorian's personality. Basil says he has put too much of his longing for Dorian into the portrait and doesn't want to risk others perceiving that.

Naturally, all of this piques the curiosity of Lord Henry, who would love to see this beautiful and fascinating young man. When Dorian arrives at the studio, and Basil says he doesn't want to introduce Henry to him for fear of Henry corrupting him, Henry is even more determined to meet the young man. Of course, Basil does introduce the two.