[1] Painted from 1786 to 1787, it was part of his fifth series, dedicated to traditional themes and intended for the heir to the Spanish throne and his wife (the Prince and Princess of Asturias).

The cartoon is now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid,[2] whilst a smaller sketch for the work known as The Threshing Floor is in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum.

In spite of avoiding the traditionally used emblem for summer, the goddess Ceres crowned with wheat ears, Goya was still able to make use of popular symbols for his representation of the season in the largest cartoon tapestry from the Fifth Series.

[4] Featured to the right of the painting is those whom Goya presents as the ones that continued their laborious work, while on the left side of the painting a group of peasants are portrayed trying to inebriate another character; by the clothing and posture of this character, it can be assumed that Goya was attempting to depict “the village idiot.” Additionally, the artist suggests a feeling of siesta time- commonly known as the short nap taken around midday in Spanish culture- with the portrayal of the men laying down and relaxing on the pile of wheat sheafs.

All the paintings of the fifth series are intended for the dining room of the Prince of Asturias, that is to say of the one who was to become Charles IV and his wife Marie Louise of Parma, in the Pardo Palace.

[7] It was considered lost until 1869, when the canvas was discovered in the basement of the Royal Palace of Madrid by Gregorio Cruzada Villaamil, and was returned to the Prado Museum in 1870 by orders of January 19 and February 9, 1870, where it is exhibited in room 943.

Across the board discussion between artists and scholars alike has determined Dark Romanticism as a prevalent and important genre of visual arts.