Portret van een jonge vrouw

This engraving features two distinct anatomical studies rendered in a style that mimics red chalk. The upper portion depicts the delicate features of a woman looking down with a serene expression, while the lower left shows a detailed study of a hand grasping a piece of paper or cloth. Fine hatching and stippling create soft transitions of light and shadow on the skin, demonstrating a high degree of naturalism.

Hendrick Goltzius was a leading figure in the Haarlem Mannerist circle, which sought to reconcile the observation of nature with Neoplatonic ideals of beauty. While a formal anatomical study, such works were foundational to the complex allegorical and alchemical imagery produced by Goltzius and his contemporaries in late 16th-century Holland.