This painting relates to a design for one of a series of tapestries known as 'Scenes from Country Life'. It shows a young maid bringing a basket of fruit to two lovers standing before a window or door. The abundance and joy of nature are the true themes of the picture, to which the richly-ornamented stonework and the brightly-coloured parrot – here probably a symbol of (matrimonial) fidelity – also contribute.

This painting is arguably the finest example in the UK of the Flemish artist Jordaens's work. It has belonged to both Sir Joshua Reynolds (the celebrated English artist), and Lucien Bonaparte (brother of the French Emperor, Napoleon).