A profile portrait in pencil, with the title and subject inscription in Sidney's own hand at the lower margin: "Rev. John" — identifying this as a specific person, the Reverend John, a clergyman Sidney knew. This is the most clearly identified portrait subject in the collection outside of the self-portraits.
The profile view is a deliberate compositional choice — it removes the directness of eye contact and allows the sitter's character to emerge through silhouette and structure alone. The head is bald on top with a fringe of hair at the back, the profile showing a high forehead, a broad nose, and a strong jaw. The ear is fully described, each cartilage fold rendered with the same botanical precision Sidney applied to plants and shells. The neck and shoulder below give the head its physical grounding.
The pencil work is among the most purely observational in the portrait drawings — no expressionist pressure, no bold ink marks, just sustained looking translated into graphite. The tone is warm, the touch is light, the information is specific. This is a person Sidney looked at carefully, probably over an extended period — the kind of looking that comes from friendship or regular proximity.
The inscription "Rev. John" raises questions that could enrich the book: who was Reverend John? A church where Sidney worshipped? A family friend? A community figure? If Volney can identify him, the work moves from portrait-of-unknown to portrait-of-specific-person — and that specificity matters.