The painting captures a moment filled with emotional tension, right at the point before the woman decides to divide her heart. Standing, with a serious expression, she is about to make the sacrifice of splitting her heart into three pieces, one for each of her loves. In front of her, three plates and three cups, each symbolizing one of the men to whom she is willing to give a part of herself. Although she is about to break her heart, the woman seems aware of the pain and beauty of this act. The scene is imbued with a sense of sacrifice and vulnerability, as if, by dividing her heart, she is leaving a part of herself in each love.
