Five gingerbread men and girls hang in a row from a sagging garland of red-and-white baker's twine, each tied on with a tiny bow. Their faces are simple and cheerful, with rosy cheeks, and their cranberry-red bow ties, buttons and hair bows stand out against honey-gold bodies edged in raised white icing.

The cream backdrop is built from broad, overlapping palette-knife strokes with faint blush-peach patches, giving the whole piece a thick, tactile impasto surface. Soft, even light and a muted palette keep the mood sweet, nostalgic and storybook-gentle.