Five animals sit around a polished wooden table in formal period clothing: a badger in a navy coat, a fox with a bow tie, an owl in a lace collar, a hare in a green waistcoat, and a cat in a gold-trimmed military jacket. They sip from porcelain cups, with a silver teapot, a bowl of fruit and a pair of leather books on the lace cloth.

Behind them, gilt-framed portraits of a badger, an owl and a hare hang on green damask walls, and daylight comes through a tall window at the left. The rich, glowing oil technique and warm, dark tones give the scene a gently comic, old-master feel.