In an almost mystical scene, a little princess with long, flowing red hair, dressed in a soft yellow robe and holding a distaff in her left hand, cautiously approaches the edge of a pond, from which a few ducks are fleeing. The background is dense with subdued shrubs and undergrowth, painted softly to evoke a dreamlike, tranquil atmosphere. The panel allowed Maris the freedom to experiment with varied brushwork: the sky and the figure are lightly layered with diluted oil paint that imitates watercolour, while the foliage is suggested through brisk, energetic strokes.