Five women, dressed in sober black gowns with broad white collars and white caps, are seated and standing around a dark table in a shadowed interior. Each figure is distinct in pose and expression: the woman at the far left sits with one hand open on her lap and the other resting on the table, her gaze steady and direct. Next to her, a second woman sits with her hands gently clasped on the table, her face turned slightly toward the viewer, her features marked by age and gravity.

A framed landscape painting hangs on the rear wall, its dark tones echoing the subdued palette of the room. Light falls from the left, illuminating the faces and collars, while the background recedes into a soft, brownish gloom. The brushwork is broad and energetic, especially in the rendering of the black dresses and the shadows, where loose strokes create a sense of movement and depth.

The composition is tightly arranged, with the table forming a horizontal anchor and the women grouped in a gentle arc, their white collars creating a rhythmic pattern across the canvas. A closed book with a red cover and gold clasps rests on the table near the right edge of the composition. The woman standing at the back right holds a folded piece of paper in her left hand, while her right hand gently touches the shoulder of the seated woman in front of her.

The edges of the women’s white collars are crisply defined, contrasting sharply with the loose, dark brushstrokes of their dresses. The background wall is a muted brown, with no visible architectural details except for the framed landscape painting. Soft, diffused light highlights the women’s faces and hands, leaving the lower portions of their dresses and the corners of the painting in deeper shadow.

Subtle touches of pink and ochre appear in the women’s faces, adding warmth to the otherwise restrained palette dominated by black, white, and brown.