A cheetah strikes the pose of a seventeenth-century lord: chin held high, gaze commanding, shoulders draped in dark velvet and bathed in the golden light of a Vermeer canvas. The clash between its wild, spotted coat and the carefully staged gravity of a court portrait creates a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek elegance, as if the big cat had sat patiently for hours before a Flemish master, all to slip quietly into the art history books.

This piece belongs to our gallery of ennobled beasts reimagined in the manner of the old painters, and it lives in the Animal Portraits collection. It comes into its own above a desk, in a panelled hallway or a living room with real personality, and speaks to anyone who enjoys pairing classical painting with a healthy dose of wit. On its own it draws the eye; grouped with other portraits from the series, it forms a charming little animal court.

• 16 sizes to choose from, ranging from a small 13×18 cm up to a generous A0
• Available as a print alone or framed in black, white, light wood or dark wood
• Made to order on quality papers and inks
• Shipping included everywhere

A refined gift for the art lover whose own cat already struts around the house like true royalty.