Even the brass in here starts looking expensive next to that dark green duck’s head. It’s the sort of picture that makes a plain wall feel considered without shouting about it. The wide off-white background does the heavy lifting: the bird sits small and still, so the wall around it stays quiet while the deep red breast and the flash of blue on the wing pull the eye in. Hang it at eye level in a hallway, above a desk, or in a run of two or three along a landing. It sits happily with painted panelling, checked seats, stoneware and worn leather. Don’t crowd it with loud modern graphics or bright colour-block pieces they flatten the fine linework. As canvas, the surface takes the glare off and gives the old plate a softer, more relaxed finish.