Monsieur le Lapin

It was not always the royal family or the royal favourite's that were the victims of the wide-spread caricatures. The remarkably well-dressed rabbit is a caricature of the Marquis de Boissy and du Coudray who was infamous for his greedy nature as well as his large fortune. The reference to a rabbit is based on a legend that the Marquis - in a desperate attempt at saving money - sat on top of his suitcases so that he did not have to pay for an extra piece of luggage (the stagecoach can be seen in the background). In French this "manoeuvre" was called monter en lapin - lapin meaning rabbit.