Oval Interlace Ornament (verso)
A faint knot-work motif drawn on the reverse of the young woman's head
The reverse of the sheet is largely blank, bearing only a faint drawing near the centre: a small oval medallion filled with a woven interlace or knot-work design. The lines are pale and lightly drawn, in contrast to the finished head on the recto. The institution's catalogue records this side as an ornamental decoration, dated about 1478-1485.
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Oval knot-work medallion
Within a lightly ruled oval the artist has sketched an interlaced band that loops and crosses over itself in a knot pattern. The motif sits alone in the middle of the otherwise empty sheet. Its faint, exploratory lines suggest a quick design study rather than a finished ornament.