Exhibited: “Cool Moderne. Art Deco i Dansk Billedkunst 1910–1940”, Gl. Holtegaard, 2015–16, cat. no., ill. in the catalogue p. 61. Provenance: The collection of Anne Ammitzbøll, Hellerup, Denmark.

As viewers, we are invited into an intimate space with three elegant, fair-haired women gathered over a cocktail in the heat of the afternoon. The image is constructed around a series of full and half circles, which embrace those portrayed; the waiter’s open fan, the fashionable hats of the women, and the draped shawl at the bottom by the frame. In the centre sits a small snow-white lap dog in front of a large bouquet of flowers. We do not know the names and identities of those portrayed, but they are probably from Gerda Wegener and Fernando Porta’s social circle.