Cheetah in an Antique Music Box

An oil painting of a graceful cheetah inside an open antique music box. The box has dark, polished wood with intricate gold filigree and a clear glass dome. Inside, a tiny savanna backdrop is painted in warm ochres and greens. The cheetah stands on a miniature rocky outcrop, its fur rendered with thick oil impasto, each spotted detail catching amber highlights, eyes bright and attentive. A brass winding mechanism and spinning gears are visible at the base, turning as if the box were playing music. Soft, golden-hour light filters through the glass, casting delicate reflections on the polished wood and the cheetah’s fur. Style blends traditional oil painting realism with impressionistic texture, evoking a vintage, dreamlike miniature theatre feel.