In the center of the oil painting is a seated woman who fills the entire space. Although we have a close-up view of her, she is able to elude our curious gaze, for her body is partially in shadow. Her upper body is draped in a shoulder cloth knotted at the front, which leaves her breasts exposed. As she sits there, her hands resting loosely between her in her lap, she seems to be waiting. Her head is tilted downwards, and while her face is in shadow, her headscarf is caught by a glaring light whose source is unclear. Various objects—food, jars, and pots—are arranged around the figure, identifying her as a market woman who is perhaps sitting in a shaded shelter. The hustle and bustle is enlivened by other figures visible behind her. 

Also unclear is the spatial situation, as the image is dominated by a camouflage-like mesh of colored and dark patches. The points of light allow a man with sunglasses (on the left edge of the picture) to emerge clearly from the shadows, but at the same time obscure other areas of the composition. The result is a vibrant, expressively resolved situation of a market scene with a female figure who remains enigmatic.