This is an idealized landscape of a bay with a foreshore in the foreground. To the left there are three small craft in the bay, and the first of these contains seven people variously standing and sitting, possibly fishing. To the left the shore follows a rocky coastline, and in the middle distance on the left the rocks rise steeply. A fortified building sits on a promontory protecting the town sitting high above it. The smoke depicted rising from the fortified building signifies habitation. There are sails of small boats visible in the bay on the left. To the right a large outcrop looms and is darker than the rest of the painting. The archway formation in the rock is an artistic device framing some of the activity and serves as a focal point of interest, through which figures are visible by a boat with its sails furled. In the middle of the arch a figure in dark clothes is stooping. On an outcrop of rock in the bay in the centre of the image, a figure sits holding a fishing rod. Vegetation has been carefully and individually delineated and birds have been depicted on the far right in front of the rocks. The image indicates a scene of calm and leads visually from a golden glow in the foreground to a blue haze in the far distance.

Although few of van Eyck's pictures have survived, this is thought to be an early work, when he was still under the influence of his master, Andries van Eertvelt. He was baptized in Antwerp in 1613, worked in a Flemish mannerist tradition and was Master of the Guild of Antwerp in 1632. He afterwards lived for a time in Genoa before moving to Brussels wher he died sometime before December 1674..