Le Gascon puni

Le Gascon puni (The Gascon Punished) by Lancret, painted around 1738, illustrates a tale from La Fontaine's Contes — the Gascon as a regional type synonymous with boastfulness and comic presumption who receives his comic comeuppance. Lancret painted numerous La Fontaine illustrations in the 1730s and 1740s, developing a coherent practice of literary narrative painting alongside his purely decorative fêtes galantes. These literary illustrations were often engraved and published, making them among his most widely known works in the eighteenth century. The choice of La Fontaine gave Lancret access to a vast repertoire of comic and amorous narratives with the sanction of canonical French literature, allowing him to depict scenes of social intrigue and erotic comedy with the respectability of literary illustration.

The comic narrative is staged with Lancret's characteristic theatrical flair, the figures's gestures and expressions conveying the story with clarity and wit. His bright, decorative palette creates a festive atmosphere for the comic scene.