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The painting represents a mother and her two children, dressed in worn clothing. The woman is shown leaning on a crutch as she addresses the viewer, proffering a begging bowl. Next to her, a young girl also directs her absent stare out of the picture space. Under her apron, she carries a small pouch with a small loaf of bread sticking out of it. The composition concentrates on three individuals who seem simply to have paused during their walk from left to right as they show the spectacle of their wretched condition, with dignity.
The depiction of poverty, described with such sensitivity, and in works of such relatively large scale, reveal the anonymous master to be a true precursor of Giacomo Ceruti.
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