Laughter

This is an image labelled in French as ‘Le ris’, meaning simply ‘laughter’. It was based on the images of different passions and their expression made by the influential French artist and thinker Charles Le Brun, who held the position of ‘First Painter’ to King Louis XIV of France. Many modern viewers perceive this image as ‘evil’, ‘sneaky’, or ‘cunning’, although that was not Le Brun’s intention at the time.