Rococo (c. 1700 – 1760)

Overgrown gardens heavy with the scent of roses, palaces and luxury; the artists Watteau, Boucher, and Fragonard typify the aristocratic style known as Rococo.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767, oil on canvas (Wallace Collection, London) — What’s that dog yapping about? This mischievous woman throws caution—and her slipper—to the wind.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with her Daughter, Julie, 1789, oil on canvas, 130 x 94 cm (Musée du Louvre). — Artificial? Moi? This genuine portrait of familial affection challenged assumptions about the aristocracy.

Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait with her Daughter

Greuze, The Village Bride — Complete with barnyard guests, this rural wedding party embodies the Enlightenment idea of “natural” man.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze, The Village Bride

Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, Self-Portrait, 1790, detail — She fled France in disguise, but Vigée Le Brun does little to conceal her face—or her sympathy to Marie Antoinette.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait

In situ, Bernard II van Risenburgh, Writing table (Table à écrire), c. 1755, oak veneered with tulipwood, kingwood, amaranth, mahogany, ebony, mother-of-pearl, stained horn; gilt-bronze mounts and modern velvet, 78.1 x 96.5 x 57.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — With its organic curves and elegant lines, this meticulously crafted table encapsulates Rococo design.

Bernard II van Risenburgh, Writing table

Ceiling (detail), Giambattista and Domenico Tiepolo, Apollo and the Continents, Residenz Staircase, completed in 1744 — Best known for their allegorical ceiling frescoes, this father-son team also produced cinematic prints.

The Tiepolo Family

Detail, Antoine Watteau, Pilgrimage to Cythera, 1717 — Flush with power and wealth, French aristocrats pursued all pleasures. Then came the Enlightenment—and Revolution.

A beginner’s guide to Rococo art

Antoine Watteau, Pilgrimage to Cythera, detail — With its fantastical setting and lovers’ dance, this painting introduced a new genre: the “fête galante.”

Antoine Watteau, Pilgrimage to Cythera

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Progress of Love: The Meeting, 1771-1773, oil on canvas, 317.5 x 243.8 cm (The Frick Collection, New York) — In this cycle, Fragonard indulges the viewer’s taste for theatre and pleasure. Subtly is in short supply!

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Progress of Love: The ...

Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, Madame Perregaux, detail — Vigée Le Brun’s eye for drama and love of theatrical play bring this aristocratic portrait to life.

Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, Madame Perregaux

Madame de Pompadour- detail — Who is she? Boucher’s intimate portrait of King Louis XV’s mistress is strong on persona, short on personality.

François Boucher, Madame de Pompadour