Progress of Love

Progress of Love is a series of four paintings created by Jean-Honoré Fragonard between 1771 and 1773. Commissioned by Madame du Barry, these works were intended to decorate her newly built Pavillon de Louveciennes. The series is characterized by its Rococo style, which was typical of Fragonard's work, though it was beginning to fall out of fashion by the time these paintings were created. The paintings depict various stages of romantic love, often with a lighthearted and sensual tone, reflecting the aristocratic tastes of the era. However, they were reportedly rejected as too Rococo for the Neoclassical setting of the pavilion. Fragonard was a prominent French Rococo painter known for his delicate and often hedonistic style, with other famous works including The Swing.12