It depicts an unidentified girl seated in profile, wearing a lemon yellow dress with white ruff collar and cuffs and purple ribbons, and reading from a small book held in her right hand.

After he won the 1753 Prix de Rome with a painting titled Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Golden Calf,[1][2] he became one of the foremost French painters in the Rococo style, which was filled with light colors, asymmetrical designs, and curved, natural forms.

The Rococo style emerged in Paris during the eighteenth century, more specifically during the reign of Louis XV, when the French upper class experienced a new social and intellectual freedom.

The pillow's violet tint, the darker-toned walls and armrest, and the female subject's rosy-toned skin and bright-yellow dress help create the illusion of warmth and joy, and a sense of sensuality.

These bright colors present a strong contrast to the dark background and help the viewer home in on the curves and contours of the female form.