An unidentified young man dressed plainly in black meets the viewer's gaze. He sits upright and motionless while behind him clouds race across the sky. The composition has been carefully centred so that a vertical line could be drawn straight down the bridge of his nose and through the fastening of his jacket.

The painting has been attributed to Catena for stylistic reasons since 1897. It may be identical with a portrait recorded as the artist's work in 1643. A probable date of about 1510 has been suggested.