The Dominican, leaning on the desk, is surprised in the act of writing and the look has risen from register to turn towards the viewer. The space behind the friar is entirely occupied by a green curtain, an artifice used by the artists of the time The friar’s face emerges in contrast, framed by the green of the background and the black of the cloak with the white and bulging sleeves of the padded garment to act as a counterpoint.