The Two Coaches

Gillot was a straightforward illustrator of the Commedia dell’arte, his work dependent on its subject-matter for humour, wit, or any amorous overtone. In the Two Coaches (Quarrel of the Cabmen), the incident depicted is far livelier than the paint by which it is depicted; the scene is enacted virtually as it must have been on the stage - to the point where one may wonder whether the picture’s original function could have been that of a signboard or comparable advertisement.