[1] Made during his stay in Rome in 1873, the canvas depicts a roadside scene in which there are four exhausted horses on a summer day.

In the background there is a yellowish wall calcined by the sun, seen in transversal perspective, which schematically cuts the horizon and highlights the vastness of the space.

The wall, characterized by a perfect geometry, presents a great volumetric tension and being suddenly interrupted, it restores the idea of a blocked time.

From a technical point of view, the characters, described in light and uniform tones, are volumetrically highlighted by the relationship between the drawing and the brushstrokes.

The scene is shown on a very intense light and the sensation that derives from it, motionless and sad, is that of suspending life during a sultry summer day.