Louis XV's most influential mistress reclines on a sofa in a green silk gown covered in roses, a book in her hand. Boucher's portrait is both the height of Rococo luxury and a carefully crafted statement: she is not only beautiful but learned.
Key facts
- Artist
- François Boucher1703–1770 · French
- Date
- 1756
- Period
- Rococo1720–1780
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 201 × 157 cm
- Location
- Alte Pinakothek Munich, Germany
Actual size
Compared with an adult 170 cm tall
Palette
#49433B#766251#2D2925#566059#838579Background
Madame de Pompadour, born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson into a Parisian middle-class family, became Louis XV's official mistress in 1745 and was made a marquise. Even after their intimate relationship ended, she remained his friend and adviser and influenced the court for nearly twenty years.
Because of her non-noble birth she was often scorned by aristocrats, so she took great care over her public image. She was a major patron of the arts and ideas: she supported the Sèvres porcelain factory, protected Voltaire and helped the Encyclopédie get published. Boucher was her favourite painter.
The portrait was shown at the Paris Salon of 1757; it later passed into the collection of the Wittelsbach family of Bavaria and now hangs in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Technique & composition
dominates the picture. Boucher rendered its sheen, folds and weight with great finesse, covering it with dozens of pink roses and bows, a showcase of Rococo virtuosity.
The palette of pink, sea green and gold is soft and sweet. Her skin is porcelain pale with a rosy blush, the ideal beauty of the eighteenth-century court.
behind her reflects the back of her head and the bookcase, extending the interior and letting us see her from another angle.
Details
Symbolism
Books and learning
She , and around her lie books, sheet music, prints and drawing tools. They proclaim her as a lover and patron of art and knowledge, not merely a favourite who pleased the King with her beauty.
The writing table
On at right lie a quill, letters and sealing wax, signalling that she was the King's correspondent and political adviser, with real power at court.
The little dog
at lower left is a symbol of fidelity, perhaps alluding to her unwavering loyalty to the King.
Stories
- Did you know?
Madame de Pompadour was hugely influential in fashion; a high-swept hairstyle, a shade of pink and even a style of champagne coupe have been named after her or linked with her.
- Did you know?
She is said to have told Louis XV, “Après nous, le déluge” (After us, the flood), a phrase later used to sum up the extravagance and short-sightedness of the old regime.
- Did you know?
The clock on the mirror behind her marks the passing of time, perhaps also a reminder that beauty fades.
Legacy
The painting is a summit of Rococo portraiture and one of the earliest portraits to package power in the image of a learned woman. It shows how portraiture could serve as a tool of politics and image-making.
Her patronage shaped the taste of an era; Sèvres porcelain and the furniture now known as the Louis XV style all bear her mark.
