The right side of the picture is dominated by the rose-red hues of the table-carpet, the crabs, the wine in the façon de Venise glass and the orange, while the left is suffused with the cool greys and white of the silver and pewterware, the shrimps and crab. The Chinese bowl, the knife and the fringe of the table-carpet unify the two sides. The red returns in the reflection of the table-carpet in the silver jug. The play of light has been tellingly observed, and the eye is caught by the reflection of the sun, not just in the gleaming metalwork, but also on the edge of the porcelain bowl, the glass and orange peel, giving depth to the painting. Strikingly the background has been kept dark, which brings greater plasticity to the array of objects.