While portraying Maria Ivanovna Artsybushev almost simultaneously with her husband, Vrubel creates a representative portrait. The prim and disembodied lady in a strict black dress, animated only by the shine of the golden chain, almost flattened on the straight back of the chair, parallel to the plane of the canvas. The person keeps a closed and neutral expression.
Vrubel still manages to penetrate this secular mask. He sensitively catches the nervous spirituality of the model, the trembling fragility of her inner world. The eyes of the lady seem tearful, the face is pale with unknown experiences. The official cold guessed a complex spiritual life.
Vrubel is a symbolist, with his love for the mysterious and incomprehensible, empowers his model with some mystery. Painting of the portrait is decorative and exquisite. Its subtle multicolor emerges through a common brown tonality.