A woman sits at a green table, her body turned slightly to the left while her face looks out toward the viewer, her right cheek resting gently on her hand. Her dark hair is parted in the center and gathered under a black coif, framing a face marked by delicate lines and a thoughtful, almost wistful expression. The background is a flat field of rose-pink, animated by diagonal strokes of paint that create a subtle sense of movement and contrast with the solidity of the figure.

Light falls evenly across her face and hands, revealing the texture of the paint and the artist’s energetic, visible brushwork throughout the composition. The composition is tightly framed, focusing attention on the sitter’s upper body and face, while the table forms a strong horizontal base at the bottom edge. The woman’s left hand is relaxed on the table, her fingers lightly touching the books, while her right elbow props up her head in a gesture of quiet contemplation.

Two pale green books with faint, sketchy writing rest on the table in front of the woman, stacked one atop the other at a slight angle. The woman’s dark blue garment features broad, undulating folds outlined in black, creating a rhythmic pattern across her arms and chest. Her blouse is rendered in pale, creamy tones with vertical strokes, contrasting with the deeper blues of her outer clothing.

The background’s pink field extends to all four edges of the canvas, with no objects or furniture interrupting the space behind her. At the lower left corner, the edge of her sleeve nearly touches the bottom of the canvas, emphasizing the tight framing. The woman’s left elbow is cropped by the left edge of the painting, while her right sleeve almost meets the right edge, reinforcing her presence within the frame.

Light catches the tops of her knuckles and the bridge of her nose, accentuating the sculptural quality of her features. The brushwork in the background consists of short, diagonal lines running from upper right to lower left, while the lines in her clothing are more sinuous and follow the contours of her body.