First trained as a silversmith and then at the first Government School of Design at Somerset House, Armstead was very conscious of the decorative aspects of sculpture. He helped bridge the gulf between the academic discipline of his contemporaries with the younger artists of "The New Sculpture" group. 'Satan Dismayed' won first prize in the Art Union sculpture competition in 1851, the year of the sculptor's debut at the Royal Academy. It was cast by the Art Union in a small edition in 1852 and again ten yers later. From the dating of the present example, it is assumed that it is from the first edition.