As noted by Jennifer Montagu, this is a scene from the life of Cephalus and Procris. The myth tells us that Cephalus returned home in disguise after an absence of eight years. He wanted to test his wife’s fidelity and he succeeded in seducing her. When Procris recognised him, she fled into the woods. Cephalus begged her to return; and she did return and gave him a dog, whom no prey could escape, and an infallible spear, with which Cephalus later accidentally mortally wounded her.

This small painting is in all probability a sketch for a work of a much larger size. The motif of the two figures, who are in profile facing each other, and the treatment of the draperies are reminiscent of some characteristics of the Florentine painter Francesco Montelaci, called Cecco Bravo (Florence 1607–Innsbruck 1661), but a closer identification is not yet possible, so that the authorship of the painting is still an open question.