Two young women occupy a sunlit terrace overlooking a vivid blue sea and distant purple hills. The figure on the left sits on a dark bench, her white drapery gathered loosely around her, with bare feet crossed beneath her seat and her head bent in concentration. She holds her arms outstretched, supporting a skein of wool that is being wound.

Opposite her, a younger girl stands barefoot on the pale terrace, dressed in a white blouse and a red skirt, winding the skein into a ball held high in her right hand. Soft, golden light bathes the scene, casting gentle shadows and illuminating the figures’ fair hair and pale skin. Leighton's brushwork is smooth and controlled, with delicate modeling of flesh and fabric, and a polished surface that heightens the sense of idealized calm.

The composition balances the seated and standing figures across the width of the canvas, linking them through the taut golden thread and their mirrored gestures. A large woven basket filled with colorful textiles and a piece of dark blue cloth sits on the terrace near the left edge, beside a brown ceramic jar. Three balls of yarn in orange, blue, and green rest on the ground in the lower right corner, casting soft shadows on the pale floor.

A leafy green plant grows just beyond the terrace wall, its foliage catching the sunlight against the blue water. The sky is filled with broad, luminous clouds in shades of cream and peach, and the distant landscape is rendered with smooth, hazy brushwork that contrasts with the crisp outlines of the terrace and figures. The subject is described as two Greek girls, light-complexioned and fair-haired, engaged in the familiar domestic task of winding wool. The setting is a flat rooftop or terrace, open to the brilliant Levantine atmosphere, with the distant sea and mountains providing a classical backdrop.

The older girl, in white, sits with her feet crossed under her chair, while the younger, in red and white, winds the skein into a ball. The painting’s atmosphere and composition are noted for their contrast of colors and the natural, relaxed pose of the figures.