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The painting depicts a wooded river landscape with a landing stage, boats, various figures and a village beyond.
From a slightly elevated viewpoint, Brueghel opens a window onto early seventeenth-century Flemish life, particularly the daily life of a village settled on the edge of a river on a clear, crisp, summer's day. The left half of the composition is dominated by an expansive waterway that pulls the eye into the depths of the landscape. On the right half, balancing out the seemingly mirrored tranquility of the river and sky, is a bustling shoreline and landing site filled with colourful figures, animals, and remarkably drawn boats. Beyond and through the trees at right appears a quiet village with houses, wooden sheds, horse drawn carts, and, in the distance, the steeple of a church.
The painting is signed and dated lower left: BRVEGHEL 1614.
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