Two mute swans rest side by side, their long necks curving inward so that their heads meet in the middle. Behind them a deep burgundy heart fills the space between their necks. Their beaks are orange with dark markings.

The paint is laid on thick in short palette-knife strokes. Cream, grey and soft ochre build the plumage, and the canvas weave shows through the pale background. Small shadows under the birds ground them on the warm, parchment-like surface.