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In his earliest paintings Ryckaert's technique is particularly attuned to that of the later Brouwer. After 1640 the affinity with the contemporary work of David Teniers the Younger appears to become greater. From this time a typical Ryckaert character appears repeatedly: a rather amiable bearded old man, who sometimes turns up as a shoemaker, sometimes as a lute player or alchemist. Like the old woman who often accompanies him, this figure gives a highly anecdotal character to Ryckaert's late work.
This painting shows an old cobbler who is busy making or repairing shoes in the workshop. Beside him his wife is spinning wool, at left is a pupil. On the wall is a drawing of a man's head; on the right in the background a group of men standing around a table.
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