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Alongside Giuseppe Zais and Marco Ricci, it was above all Francesco Zuccarelli, a native of Tuscany, who helped the Arcadian motif and pastoral subject to achieve great popularity. Their paintings embodied the 18th century ideal of a rural, informal summer idyll with man and nature in complete harmony.
In a sun-drenched river valley, laundry women have settled down on the bank. A colourfully dressed horsewoman with her dog attracts the attention of the hardworking women. Behind them, a wide view of a southern town opens up against a mountain backdrop. While the foreground stands out with strong colours, the mountains in the background almost merge with the sky in atmospheric colouring. The painting convinces with its technical brilliance, the structured composition of the picture as well as the colour scheme and idealises, keeping with the taste of the time, the simplicity, naturalness and freedom of country life.