Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise of Pompadour, 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764, commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and remained influential as court favourite until her death.
Pompadour took charge of the king’s schedule and was a valued aide and advisor, despite her frail health and many political enemies. She secured titles of nobility for herself and her relatives, and built a network of clients and supporters. She was particularly careful not to alienate the Queen, Marie Leszczyńska. On 8 February 1756, the Marquise de Pompadour was named as the thirteenth lady in waiting to the queen, a position considered the most prestigious at the court, which accorded her with honors.
Pompadour was a major patroness of architecture and decorative arts, especially porcelain. She was a patroness of the philosophes of the Enlightenment, including Voltaire. Reference: Wikipedia
Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, whole-length, seated in a forest glade, and looking to the left, with left arm resting on a pile of books, and right hand resting on a book in her lap Etching on chine collé
After: François Boucher
Print made by: Charles Jean Louis
Printed by: François Liénard School/style French Date 1861-1897 Etching
Reference: © The Trustees of the British Museum
FRANCOIS BOUCHER (PARIS 1703-1770) AND WORKSHOP Woman in a park turned to the right, formerly known as ‘Madame de Pompadour’ signed and dated ‘f. Butcher 1752 ‘ black chalk, sanguine, white chalk, heightened with pastel, on brown paper 523 x 398 mm.
Sold for EUR 325,000 at Christies in 2011
After Henri Matisse MADAME DE POMPADOUR Color lithograph
Sold for $1,750 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle in 2009
Georges Dola (French 1872-1950) Madame de Pompadour, 1933 lithograpic poster in colors Max Eschig editions, Paris 46 x 30 (117 x 76cm)
Sold for $300 at Andrew Jones Auctions in 2019
This pastel portrait depicts one of the rare women to play a decisive role in the political, intellectual, and artistic life of the 18th century. First mistress and later friend of King Louis XV, she also aspired to be his counselor. Commissioned from the most famous and gifted pastelist of the period, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, this masterpiece sheds light on the intentions of the Marquise de Pompadour, created as it was throughout the evolving relationship of an exceptional couple.
The marquise is seated in a collector’s cabinet decorated with blue-green paneling accented in gold. The sumptuousness of her clothing – a spectacular French-style dress in fashion around 1750 – shows a tendency to ostentation, while the absence of jewelry and the simplicity of her coiffure underscore the portrait’s personal nature. She is shown as a protector of the arts, surrounded by attributes symbolizing literature, music, astronomy and engraving.
Reference:The Louvre
Love and Friendship, from Madame de Pompadour’s “Suite of Prints”
This print records an intaglio designed by Madame de Pompadour to serve as her personal seal. In translating the image from gem to drawing and then print, Boucher and Pompadour used modulations of light and shadow to soften the figures’ bodies and create a sense of illusionistic depth. The subject, Love encircling Friendship with a floral garland, relates to a group of works in diverse media commissioned by Pompadour around the same theme. This group included porcelain figurines and a marble sculpture. The theme of love and friendship refers not only to Pompadour’s relationship with the king but also to her ability to forge productive, collaborative relationships with artists working in many media.
