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Between 1655 and 1657 Maes produced at least six innovative genre scenes with an "eavesdropper" as a protagonist. The present painting is possibly the last of these variations on the theme and the largest and most ambitious work in this series. The company in the upstairs room at the left is waiting to be served and the lady of the house, richly clad in a fur-trimmed red velvet jacket, descends the stairs with an empty wine glass in her left hand. She smiles out at the viewer, her finger raised to her lips cautioning for silence. She has spotted her maidservant on a lower level being seduced by a man and thus neglecting her duties. The viewer is directly involved in the scenario, and even made an accomplice to it.
Maes made a lasting impression with his genre scenes. His domestic subjects, convincing renderings of interiors and glimpses into adjacent rooms, and expressive use of light and shade influenced artists in Delft, such as Pieter de Hooch and Johannes Vermeer.
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