"The Mice Bury the Cat" or -- "The Most Unbelievable Story"

The burial of a (dead) cat carried by a triumphant procession of mice is a popular motif in Russian folk art, and first appeared in 17th Century woodcuts, continuing in engravings and lithographs until the early 20th Century.

The mice are always depicted as weak, and are often wounded. The dead cat is carried in a sled pulled by the mice, its front paws and legs still bound. Some mice play drums and horns, while others carry food and ale or wine.

While the subject is generally agreed to be the infinite hatred between cats and mice, some interpret the scene as a parody of the 1725 burial of Peter the Great.