It shows city-dwellers in the countryside pretending to be peasants.
Painting-theme explained:
- In the centre a young man dressed in an elegant doublet and a plumed beret dances what seems to be a minuet with a young woman in a satin dress whilst a musician plays for them.
- One other couple observes the dancers.
- Another couple whispers to each other.
- A third couple plays with a swing.
- Several details are directly inspired by the work of Peter Paul Rubens - the musician, his neighbour, the shepherd embracing the woman next to him and the dog in the foreground.
- The affected character of the scene is heightened by the presence of a real shepherd, whose sheep graze in the far right background, almost hidden by bushes.
Overall (summary): the painting transposes French pastoral poetry of the time into painted form.