The central figure is a young woman, portrayed at eye level, captured in the act of preparing to eat an oyster. She wears a rich, deep red velvet jacket trimmed with white fur, her gaze directed warmly toward the viewer. Her dark hair is adorned with a delicate hairpiece, and she sits at a table draped in a dark, textured blue cloth that anchors the foreground composition.
On the table, a still life display includes an array of oyster shells, a metal platter holding a lemon, and an ornate, light-blue and white ceramic pitcher alongside a partially filled glass of white wine. In the dim, shadowed background, a doorway opens to reveal a secondary scene where a person, partially obscured, works in a kitchen-like setting. This use of depth creates a sense of voyeuristic intimacy common to Dutch Golden Age genre painting.
The overall lighting is dramatic, characteristic of the period, with a strong light source hitting the woman’s face and the reflective surfaces of the oyster shells and tableware, while leaving the corners of the room in deep, atmospheric gloom. The color palette relies heavily on the juxtaposition of the saturated red of the woman's garment against the dark, moody blues, greys, and browns of the interior. The work is a classic oil painting on canvas, exhibiting fine brushwork and a soft, realistic rendering of textures ranging from the lustrous fur trim to the gleaming metal surfaces.