A large ink portrait notable for the hand that appears at the very bottom of the composition — a detail so unusual in the head-and-shoulder ink portraits as to immediately attract attention. A woman seen in three-quarter view, head tilted slightly forward and to the left, looks downward with an absorbed expression. At the lower edge of the composition, a hand is barely visible — just the fingers, clutching or holding something below the frame.
The face above is described with Sidney's characteristic economy: the hair — a large mass of wavy hair parted at the side and falling to the shoulders — is the most sustained element. The shadow zone under the brow and at the eye socket is the most tonal zone of the face. The nose and mouth are briefly described.
The gestural shadow marks at the neck and upper chest — cross-hatching that builds the shadow under the chin and at the collar — are the most physically expressive marks in the portrait. These shadow marks, placed with rapid energy, give the lower face and neck a quality of being seen in strong natural light.
The hand at the bottom — just the fingertips, pressed together or holding — introduces a bodily specificity below the portrait's usual chest-level boundary. What is she holding? What are the fingers doing? The composition doesn't answer.