Portrait of Marquise de Pompadour
by BOUCHER, François, Oil on canvas, 91 x 68 cm
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (1721-1764) became marquise de Pompadour and maitresse en titre to Louis XV in 1745. Her lavish patronage of the arts, in particular of the S�vres porcelain factory and of Boucher, sustained the French Rococo style. Behind her in this portrait stands the sculpture of Love and Friendship which she had commissioned from Pigalle to symbolize her later, platonic relationship with the King.
The painting was commissioned from the artist in 1758 for the Bellevue Castle.