10 Coolest Cats in Art History

First up is this fancy number by Jean-Jacques Bachelier, inventor and master ceramicist at the Sèvres porcelain works, he also had a line in painting pets and still lifes.

This fluffy White Angora wouldn't look out of place next to set of fine china.

This is a bit more peaceful! This sugar-coated painting by Renoir shows Julie Manet, the young daughter of fellow artists Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, and her beloved kitten.

Its refined finish and glossy surface marked a distinct change in direction for the Impressionist painter.

Manet shows his powers of observation by using just a few marks to create the form of this cute little guy.

In at 5, "The world comes to be painted at my studio," said Courbet of this enigmatic 'real allegory summing up seven years of my artistic and moral life'. The accomplished artist represents many different figures from history and fantasy, all of whom he found inspiration in…

…and he didn't forget the cat!

This picture might show the dog days of summer, but it's the domain of the cat.

Who knocked over my tomatoes? Probably since the invention of agriculture and architecture, cats have found ways to knock houseplants over.

Takahashi Hiroaki captures that cursed curiosity in this traditional Japanese woodblock print.

The penetrating gaze of the eponymous black cat seems to say, "I know what you did at the Moulin Rouge"!