A woman faces forward, her head turned slightly to her left, with her gaze directed outward, meeting the viewer. Her pale oval face is framed by dark, softly curling hair that falls to her shoulders, with delicate ringlets resting on her forehead and neck. She wears a black dress adorned with a wide, white lace collar that spreads across her shoulders, edged with intricate embroidery and highlighted by the play of light on its surface.

Her lips are painted a soft red, and her expression is calm, composed, and slightly reserved, with a hint of melancholy in her eyes. The background is a deep, dark brown, which contrasts with the luminous quality of her skin and the shimmering whites of her collar and pearls, focusing attention on her face and upper body. The brushwork is smooth and fluid, especially in the modeling of her face and the soft transitions of light and shadow, while the lace and pearls are rendered with delicate, precise touches.

The composition is closely cropped, showing only her head, shoulders, and upper chest, which creates an intimate and direct encounter with the sitter. A faint, warm brown drapery appears at the left edge, adding a subtle vertical element to the otherwise dark and neutral background. A single strand of pearls encircles her neck, with matching pearl earrings visible beneath her hair.

A delicate, sheer white ribbon is gathered at the center of her bodice, just below the lace collar. The left edge of the painting features a vertical strip of warm brown drapery that contrasts with the otherwise dark background. Soft, diffused light falls from the upper left, illuminating the left side of her face and casting subtle shadows on her right cheek and under her chin.

The paint handling on the lower part of the dress is looser and more suggestive, with visible brushstrokes creating a sense of texture and depth in the black fabric. The subject is Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of Charles I, as identified in the title. Anthony van Dyck painted this portrait in 1632.