The Lion's Horoscope 1719

Editor: This is "The Lion's Horoscope" by Claude Gillot. It's a small print, quite detailed, and the scene feels almost theatrical. What do you make of this strange encounter? Curator: It’s pure Gillot! Think commedia dell'arte meets Aesop’s fables. The lion, measured by a fool and a monkey, becomes a stand-in for human folly. Gillot loved poking fun at societal pretensions, didn't he? It’s like he's saying, "We're all just animals in costumes, pretending to be important." What do you think this might imply about power at the time? Editor: That’s really interesting. I hadn't considered the social commentary. It gives the image a new dimension. Curator: Exactly! Art is a fabulous trickster, isn’t it? It mirrors and distorts.