The main characteristic of this painting, almost emblematic of the art of Bernardo Strozzi, is the color that, together with the pictorial technique and the choice of the genre subject, leads him to a Flemish matrix. Of the Genoese editorial offices of this type of subject, that of Palazzo Rosso is certainly the most famous, perhaps also because it has been known for more time, since the Brignole-Sale collection was visited by travellers, scholars and connoisseurs since the eighteenth century. The years 1624-1625 are the most credible moment for the execution of the work, which introduces a subject "genre", of which The cook, a little later, will be the most significant example in the production of Strozzi.
The canvas is documented at Palazzo Rosso from 1684, among the assets of Gio.Francesco I Brignole-Sale (1643-1694). The arrangement of the painting on the walls of the apartment on the second noble floor involved an enlargement of the canvas that remained until 1959, when it was restored to its original size, as well as restored. In 1995, a new painting and reflectographic analysis were carried out which showed that the fiffer initially sketched was somewhat shorter: the elongation would seem to be more justified by the intent to obtain a greater depth of field.