It shows a scene of rural life typical of Flanders.

The people are spreading cloth on a bleachfield, an open area used for spreading woven fabrics on the ground, in order to purify and whiten them by the action of the sunlight.

[5] Bleachfields were also common in northern England, whereto the Flemings migrated in large numbers throughout the medieval and early modern periods;[6] for instance, the name of the town of Whitefield, on the outskirts of Manchester, is thought to derive from the medieval bleachfields used by Flemish settlers.

There is a pleasant contrast between the animated, hectic market and the placid bleachfield; as well as between the former and the elevated sky.

It has been part of the Royal Collection since at least the early 18th century, when it was housed at the Zarzuela Palace.