Crespi was the direct heir of the Carracci as a painter of everyday life, & played an important role in developing a taste for such scenes among his contemporaries. His interest in peasant subjects dates from his stay in Florence in 1709. This painting & its companion ' Musicians' probably date from shortly after this. This painting is in the Bolognese tradition of depicting street-vendors, showing a peasant selling bread carried by a donkey. Like its companion, this picture has been cut down at the left & the top edges.