The Triumph of Marriage 

Claude Gillot created "The Triumph of Marriage" using pen and brown ink in the early 18th century. Gillot was working in a time when French society was deeply structured by class and aristocratic patronage. This drawing presents us with a spectacle of marriage as triumph. Yet the lions pulling the chariot, along with the entourage of figures accompanying the couple, raise questions about the power dynamics inherent in this union. Who is being tamed, and at what cost? The putti, or cherubic figures, flitting about may represent the cherubic innocence of children, but do they also reinforce the expectation of procreation? Marriage in the 18th century was often a political and economic arrangement, particularly among the elite. This piece invites us to consider how love and power intertwine, shaping both individual lives and the broader social order.