The subject is a famous and popular one in painting, told in Livy's history of Rome (Book XXVI, chap. 50). After capturing New Carthage, Scipio Africanus received amongst the captives a maiden, who he released to her fiancé as a mark of Roman virtue. Here Scipio is seated centrally, in armour, holding a baton in his right hand. At the left a woman kneels at his feet; kneeling on the opposite side of Scipio is her fiancé. The trio are surrounded by numerous Roman soldiers, with various trophies and banners, two of which are inscribed S P Q R. In the background is the facade of a temple with Corinthian capitals, and other classical architecture.

The subject was particularly popular in eighteenth-century Venetian painting, and specifically in Ricci's own work; some seven treatments of it by him exist. This is a comparatively early example, of high quality and chromatic brilliance, which derives from the influence of artists such as Veronese and Pellegrini. A preliminary drawing for the composition, with minor differences, is in the Museo Correr, Venice.