A grey tabby cat sits upright in a leather chair, dressed in a black velvet tuxedo, white shirt, bow tie and a red rose at the lapel. Its green eyes look straight out. On the polished desk in front of it are a cut-glass decanter, a small tumbler, a cigar box, a quill with a sealed leather book, an inkwell and a brass nameplate reading Cat Corleone.

The study is crowded with detail: shelves of old books, heavy green drapes, a gilt-framed portrait of another formally dressed cat, a mantel clock and a rotary telephone. A green glass lamp and the glow of a fireplace light the room in deep amber and shadow. It is painted in a rich, old-master manner, and the mood is theatrical and darkly humorous.