A figure in a dotted hockey mask and a rose-print apron sits upright in a wrought-iron chair. Pinky raised, the figure lifts a delicate teacup. On the mosaic table are a tiered stand of macarons, small sandwiches and scones, a floral teapot and a milk jug. The contrast between the mask and the genteel setting is the joke.

Warm light falls across an old brick wall, a sage-green fence and climbing roses. Lavender, pink blooms and red geraniums in terracotta pots fill the garden. The thick, buttery brushwork gives the scene the glow of a traditional garden painting.