Is That What I Ordered?

"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

Marilyn Monroe (actress)

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Decisions, decisions! It’s time for Countess du Barry to review the pieces she has commissioned. Installed in her salon, each of the four paintings depicts a romantic scene.

Once the companion of various French aristocrats and now King Louis XV’s pet, the countess is practically a love professional. She’ll fall head over heels for the work’s amorous theme… won’t she?

Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, "Portrait of Madame du Barry", 1782, oil on canvas, 45.25 x 35.25 in., Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
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The panels, known collectively as The Progress of Love, show how a relationship evolves over time. Set in lush, densely floral scenes, they’re typical of Rococo. Roco-what? It’s a decorative, slightly feminine style that’s popular among the upper classes in 18th-century France. Du Barry ought to be pleased!

In the first panel, a lad offers a flower to his beloved. She plays hard to get and tries to flee, but her resistance is temporary. Under the watchful eyes of Cupid and his mother Venus, the two soon meet for a secret rendez-vous.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, "The Progress of Love", 1771-1772, oil on canvas, 10.4 x 7.1 ft, The Frick Collection, New York. The flower-giving detail from "The Pursuit".
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Sparks fly and, by the third panel, the couple is joined in matrimony. No rings are exchanged, but the lady does crown her man, a symbol of their union. Will the marriage last? A hidden clue suggests as much. In the final panel, a small dog lies beneath the blissful couple, a sign of fidelity.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, "The Progress of Love", 1771-1772, oil on canvas, 10.4 x 7.1 ft, The Frick Collection, New York. Details from "The Lover Crowned" and "Love Letters".
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Unlike the pup, du Barry wasn’t so loyal. She rejected the works--painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Some historians argue that the resemblance between the paintings’ characters and the real-life king and countess is to blame. The reference would have been too indiscreet. She was, after all, his mistress.

Fortunately, Fragonard had the good sense to save his masterful creations. Today they’re shacked up with New York’s Frick Collection, a match made in heaven.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, "The Progress of Love", 1771-1772, oil on canvas, 10.4 x 7.1 ft, The Frick Collection, New York. Detail from "The Meeting". These two characters may have too closely resembled the king and his mistress.
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