This painting is one of a pair of grisailles (the other is BHC1934) in which Backhuysen depicted a bustling Indian port. A townscape of fortified buildings, with a cluster of turrets in the centre, forms the background. A range of vessels float in the water before it, their flags identifying them as both Dutch and English, testament to the commercial interest which both countries had in India at this time. Thin, deftly executed palm trees recede into the distance and hint at an exotic landscape further away, while the upright masts of the ships echo the vertical lines of the buildings and towers. In the foreground, an Indian man carries a heavy package, while an elaborately dressed man on horseback is in the centre on the right, accompanied by a black warrior bearing a sword and shield. Next to them, a group comprising of three men and a woman rests on the ground. One of the men smokes a pipe while the wine carafes next to them attest to their pursuit of pleasure instead of work. By contrast, on the far right an envoy in a large wagon pulled by buffaloes and escorted by a considerable entourage moves towards the water’s edge. Visible inside the wagon are two women and a man dressed in modish European clothing.