Marie de' Medici sits in three-quarter view, her gaze directed slightly to the left, her expression calm and reserved. She wears a voluminous black gown with wide sleeves and a gleaming white collar and cuffs, the fabric rendered with smooth, broad brushstrokes that absorb the light. Her hands rest in her lap; in her right hand she holds a cluster of pink and red roses, their petals painted with delicate, precise touches.

A small dog lies at her feet on an ornate carpet, its fur dappled with white and brown, and its eyes turned up toward the viewer. To the left, a golden crown sits on a dark surface, its form picked out with glints of yellow and white, suggesting both regality and the sitter’s royal status. Behind her, the background opens onto a luminous sky, painted in swirling strokes of blue, gold, and grey, with the sun breaking through clouds above a distant cityscape.

A river winds through the city, with boats moored along its banks and the spire of a church rising above the rooftops, all rendered in fine, atmospheric detail. A large tree arches overhead, its leaves catching the evening light and framing the upper right of the composition. The composition places Marie de' Medici centrally, with her dark dress setting off the paler tones of her face and hands, and the vivid colours of the carpet and flowers providing contrast.

The brushwork varies from the soft blending of flesh tones in her face to the crisp highlights on the crown and the intricate patterning of the carpet. Portrait of Marie de' Medici was painted by Anthony van Dyck in the 1630s, with the date given as circa 1631.