A barrel hoop draws the curved oak staves together as a cooper prepares the next careful tap. One hand steadies the driver against the iron ring while the other holds a wooden mallet. His striped work shirt and leather apron fit naturally among the barrel's warm grain, dark bands and unfinished upper edge.

Nested tubs, long tools and loose hoops fill the timber workshop beyond him. Light from the windows crosses the darker room in pale shafts, picking out wood dust and the edges of the rounded containers. The broad view shows the scale of the craft without losing the small meeting point between tool and ring, where the next adjustment will take place.