Try it above the writing desk; the vertical will do the editing. The young cowgirl stares straight back, hands folded, one playing card on the table a quiet bit of theatre that holds a room without shouting.

A wall with this on it stops feeling like a corridor and starts feeling like somewhere people sit and stay. The warm browns and mustard tones lift dim corners, and the small flash of red keeps your eye moving back.

Hang it at eye level above a desk, console or low sideboard. Studies and snugs love it; so does an entryway that needs a bit of grit.

Pair with oak or walnut timber, aged leather, raw linen and terracotta. Brass hardware and a stoneware lamp finish it off.

Don’t crowd it with other busy portraits or anything in cool blue let this one do the talking. The canvas softens the painterly brushwork and reads well from across the room.