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Jacopo Bassano's great contribution to painting was his treatment of religious subjects as if they were genre or everyday scenes, coming close in this respect to the artistic traditions of the north. Bassano preferred to paint those religious subjects which would allow him to introduce peasants and animals, as in the present case, as ell as fruit, vegetables pots, and pans.The figures are modelled with pronounced chiaroscuro and bold areas of colour, which create strongly three-dimensional forms. As in the present painting, he generally places some figures with their back to the viewer and others kneeling down with the soles of their feet facing outwards.
This pastoral scene actually depicts the Parable of the Sower, who is placed behind the group of women and children looking after the animals and preparing the meal. The subject offers the artist the chance to depict a genre scene with an ox, sheep, a dog, and, in the foreground, a group of objects such as a copper pot and a bowl. The expressive and spontaneous character of the scene gives it a great naturalness, reinforced by the integration of the group into the landscape, which plays an important role in the painting. Also typical of Bassano's style is the use of a mountainous landscape with a stormy sky.
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