File:Classical landscape with small waterfall and village.jpg

The figures may represent Pan and Syrinx of Greek mythology. The satyr wielding a knife against the river nymph is an uncommon depiction of violence by Zuccarelli. This early representation of a satyr closely resembles that of another satyr found in an etching by the same artist, created for the frontispiece of a book, Il Malmantile Racquistato, published in Florence in 1731. Note also the flower garlands in the nymph's hair, typical of the period.

The washerwoman is carrying a water bottle gourd, zucco in Italian, a frequent pun used by Francesco Zuccarelli on his name.

The clothing of the figures, as well as their calm and precise gestures, descend directly from the Roman classicism of Zuccarelli's teacher, Paolo Anesi.

Mythological figure so far unidentified. The pose, along with the red robe, is seen in other paintings by Zuccarelli. On the ground beneath the figure may be a tambourine, which is found in a much later picture, beside a man clothed in a similar robe, entitled "Autumn", dated 1761-1762.

A leaning tree, with double or crossed trunks, is a common feature in his landscapes.

A rustic village before pinkish mountains was a device employed by Zuccarelli in the 1730s.

The hillside with overhanging vegetation is similar to that found in many works of Salvator Rosa, who evidently was influential on the young artist. This framing element, along with a rocky waterfall off to the side, is seen in several later paintings by Zuccarelli.

The foreground is sprinkled with impromptu flashes of paint, a technique employed by Alessandro Magnasco.

One of the buildings has blue smoke issuing from a chimney, a detail sometimes seen.

The dark browns and greens of the foreground, contrasted with the pink tones in the distance, was a colour scheme employed by the artist in a series of paintings depicting friars, completed in the later 1730s.