Le petit chien qui secoue de l'argent et des pierreries

Le petit chien qui secoue de l'argent et des pierreries, painted in 1737, illustrates one of Jean de La Fontaine's Contes — the magical dog that shakes coins and jewels from its fur providing a fanciful vehicle for satirizing human greed and credulity. La Fontaine's Contes, with their combination of classical source material and French vernacular wit, were among the most popular literary subjects for Rococo painters, and Lancret developed an extensive practice of literary illustration alongside his purely decorative fêtes galantes. The fanciful subject allowed him to introduce magical and humorous elements into his characteristic compositional style, demonstrating the flexibility of his manner. The painting was likely engraved and distributed, extending the literary illustration beyond its original commissioned context.

The fantastical scene is rendered with Lancret's characteristic brightness and decorative flair. The jewels scattered by the magical dog create sparkling color accents within the garden setting.