A young woman stands in a grand architectural setting, her body turned slightly to the side while her gaze meets the viewer directly. Her face is framed by a halo of curled hair and a strikingly elaborate lace ruff that fans out from her neck, casting delicate shadows on her cheeks. She wears a sumptuous satin gown, its silvery fabric catching the light in crisp, reflective folds, with gold embroidery and pearls accentuating the sleeves and bodice.

Her left hand holds a closed fan, the fingers elegantly extended, while her right hand rests gently at her side, revealing the careful rendering of skin and the play of light across her knuckles. The dress is adorned with intricate gold chains and jewels, and the sleeves are structured with horizontal bands, suggesting both luxury and formality. Behind her, a deep red curtain is gathered and draped, its rich color and heavy folds providing a dramatic contrast to the luminous gown.

To the left, a section of classical architecture with carved stone columns and mouldings frames the figure, reinforcing the sense of status and grandeur. The artist uses fine, controlled brushwork to capture the textures of lace, satin, and metal, while the background is painted with broader, more shadowed strokes. The composition places the figure slightly off-center, allowing the sweep of the gown and the vertical elements of the architecture and curtain to balance the scene. According to the National Gallery of Art, the work has been trimmed on all sides, removing parts of the original background and the lower section of the figure.

It changed hands several times in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, eventually entering the Samuel H. Kress Collection and being donated to the National Gallery of Art in 1961.