The light falls strongly from the left, illuminating the woman's lined face, her white headscarf, the eggs in the pan, and the objects on the table, while the background and the boy beside her recede into deep shadow. On the table in front of the woman are a white plate with a knife, a brass mortar and pestle, a ceramic jug, a brown pot, an onion, and several red chili peppers, each rendered with precise detail. A straw basket hangs against the dark wall above the woman, and a set of metal pans dangles to the right, barely visible in the gloom.

Velázquez uses a palette dominated by ochres and browns, with subtle shifts in hue and a striking contrast between the illuminated forms and the enveloping darkness. The brushwork is meticulous, capturing the textures of cloth, metal, ceramic, and food with a clarity that heightens the realism of the scene. The eggs in the pan are depicted with a glistening surface, their whites just beginning to set around the bright yellow yolks, suggesting careful observation of the cooking process.

The boy’s left hand clutches a pale yellow melon with a rough, netted surface and a tied string around it, while his right hand holds a clear glass flask filled with a dark liquid, reflecting the light. The old woman’s right hand is poised above the pan, holding a wooden spoon, while her left hand holds a cracked egg with the shell partly open. The table’s front edge is sharply defined, casting a dark shadow onto the lower left corner, where a brass bowl catches a glint of light.

The background is a deep, almost black brown, with no visible architectural details, causing the figures and objects to emerge starkly from the gloom. The woman’s brown sleeve is painted with broad, visible brushstrokes that suggest the weight and texture of the fabric. The melon’s surface is rendered with subtle variations in yellow and orange, and the flask’s glass neck distorts the boy’s fingers behind it.

The lower right corner of the painting is filled with the white ceramic jug, a small brown pot, and a red onion, each outlined crisply against the shadowed background.