A woman sits turned three-quarters to the viewer, her gaze meeting the eyes of those who stand before her. Her face is softly illuminated, emerging from a deep, dark background that sets off her pale skin and the crisp white of her pleated ruff. She wears a black dress with a high collar, its surface absorbing light and revealing little detail, while the ruff and her translucent cap catch the light with delicate highlights.

Her right hand is raised and holds a small, closed book with gilt-edged pages, the fingers gently curved around its spine. The oval format frames her upper body and face, giving the portrait an intimate, focused presence within the painted illusion of a wooden surround. The brushwork is smooth and controlled, especially in the rendering of her face and hands, where subtle transitions of tone model the forms with precision.

Fine, almost invisible lines describe the folds of her cap and the soft texture of her skin, while the crisp edges of her ruff are painted with careful attention to the play of light and shadow. The background is painted in deep, nearly black tones, with only the faintest suggestion of space behind her. The composition is balanced and calm, with the woman's figure set slightly to the right, her gaze and the angle of the book leading back toward the center.

The wooden surround is painted with warm brown tones, featuring subtle woodgrain patterns and darker shading toward the corners. The woman’s left hand is not visible, disappearing into the shadowed lower edge of the oval frame. The cap she wears has softly painted, translucent wings that extend outward, catching the light on their upper edges and fading into shadow at the sides.

A faint, warm highlight falls across the knuckles and fingertips of her right hand, emphasizing the three-dimensionality of her gesture. The lower left corner of the painted oval reveals a gentle gradation from dark brown to black, with no objects or details interrupting the background. The paint handling in the background is looser and more blended compared to the crisp, controlled lines of the ruff and the hand holding the book.