Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
. She was the official
chief mistress of
King Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...
from 1745 to 1751, and remained influential as court
favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...
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
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
for herself and her relatives, and built a network of clients and supporters. She was particularly careful not to alienate the Queen,
Marie Leszczyńska
Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...
. On 8 February 1756, the Marquise de Pompadour was named as the thirteenth
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to the queen, a position considered the most prestigious at the court, which accorded her with honors.
Pompadour was a major
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of architecture and
decorative arts
]
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...
, especially
porcelain
Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...
. She was a patron of the ''
philosophes
The ''philosophes'' () were the intellectuals of the 18th-century Enlightenment.Kishlansky, Mark, ''et al.'' ''A Brief History of Western Civilization: The Unfinished Legacy, volume II: Since 1555.'' (5th ed. 2007). Few were primarily philosophe ...
'' of the
Enlightenment, including
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
.
Hostile critics at the time generally tarred her as a malevolent political influence, but historians are more favorable, emphasizing her successes as a patron of the arts and a champion of French pride. Art historian Melissa Hyde argues that the critics of Pompadour were driven by fears over the overturning of social and gender hierarchies that Pompadour's power and influence, as a woman who was not born into the aristocracy, represented.
Early life
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born on 29 December 1721 in Paris to François Poisson and his wife Madeleine de La Motte. It is suspected that her biological father was either the rich financier
Jean Pâris de Monmartel
Jean Pâris de Monmartel (3 August 1690 at Moirans – 10 September 1766 at his château at Brunoy) was a French financier.
He was the youngest of the four Pâris brothers, who were financiers under Louis XIV and Louis XV. At the height of his ...
or the tax collector (
''fermier général'')
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem (1684–1751) was a French financier, a '' fermier-général'', or tax-farmer.
He is best known for his connection with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764), future marquise de Pompadour. ...
.
Le Normant de Tournehem became her legal guardian when François Poisson was forced to leave the country in 1725 after a scandal over a series of unpaid debts; such crime at that time was punishable by death, however, he was cleared eight years later and allowed to return to France.
At age 5 Jeanne Antoinette was sent to receive the finest quality education of the day in an
Ursuline convent in Poissy, where she gained admiration for her wit and charm. Due to poor health, thought to be whooping cough, Jeanne Antoinette returned home in January 1730 at age 9. During this time her mother took her to a fortuneteller, Madame de Lebon, who predicted that the girl would one day reign over the heart of a king. Henceforth she became known as ''Reinette'', meaning "little queen", and was groomed to become the mistress of Louis XV. Tournehem arranged for Jeanne Antoinette to receive a private education at home with the best teachers at the time. From there on she was taught dancing, drawing, painting, engraving, theatre, the arts and the ability to memorize entire plays. It may have been this sponsoring of Jeanne Antoinette's education in particular that sparked rumors of his paternity to Poisson.
Marriage
At the age of nineteen, Jeanne Antoinette was married to
Charles Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles, the nephew of her guardian Charles Le Normant de Tournehem, who initiated the match and the large financial incentives that came with it.
On 15 December 1740, Tournehem made his nephew his sole heir, disinheriting all his other nephews and nieces: the children of his brother and sister.
These included the estate at Étiolles, a wedding gift from her guardian, which was situated on the edge of the royal hunting ground of the
forest of Sénart
The Forest of Sénart (french: Forêt de Sénart, ) is located in the French department of Essonne. It covers 3,000 hectares in area, this forest is very important to the local population. The local government has kept roads and agricultural com ...
. Once married, Le Normant d'Étiolles fell passionately in love with his wife, while she addressed that she would never leave him – except for the King. The couple had a son who died in infancy and a daughter,
Alexandrine Le Normant d'Étiolles
Alexandrine-Jeanne Le Normant d'Étiolles (10 August 1744 – 15 June 1754) was a member of French nobility as the daughter of Madame de Pompadour, the maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV of France.
Life
Alexandrine-Jeanne Le Normant d'Étiolles ...
born in 1744, who died at the age of nine.
Attendance of salons
Jeanne Antoinette's marital status allowed her to frequent celebrated salons in Paris, such as those hosted by Mesdames de Tencin, Geoffrin, du Deffand and others. Within these salons she crossed paths with principal figures of the Enlightenment, including
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
,
Charles Pinot Duclos,
Montesquieu
Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (; ; 18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher.
He is the principa ...
,
Helvétius, and
Bernard de Fontenelle. Additionally, Jeanne Antoinette created her own salon at Étiolles, which was attended by many of the cultural elite, among them were
Crébillon fils Crébillon is a French surname. Notable people with that name include:
* Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (1674–1762), French poet and tragedian
* Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon
Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon (13 February 1707 – 12 Apri ...
, Montesquieu, the
Cardinal de Bernis, and Voltaire. Within these circles she learned the fine art of conversation and developed the sharp wit for which she would later become known at Versailles.
Meeting the King
Due to her involvement in Paris salons as well as her grace and beauty, Louis XV had heard the name of Jeanne Antoinette mentioned at court as early as 1742. In 1744, Jeanne Antoinette sought to catch the eye of the King while he led the hunt in the forest of Sénart. Because she occupied an estate near this location she was permitted to follow the royal party at a distance. However, wanting to attract the King's notice, Jeanne Antoinette drove directly in front of the King's path, once in a pink
phaeton, wearing a blue dress, and once in a blue phaeton, wearing a pink dress. The King sent a gift of venison to her. Though the King's current mistress
Maria Anne de Mailly, named Madame de Châteauroux, had warned off Jeanne Antoinette, the position became vacant on 8 December 1744 when Châteauroux died. On 24 February 1745, Jeanne Antoinette received a formal invitation to attend the
masked ball
A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...
held on February 25 at the
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
to celebrate the marriage of the Dauphin
Louis of France to
Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to t ...
. It was at this ball that the King, disguised along with seven courtiers as a yew tree, publicly declared his affection for Jeanne Antoinette. Before all of court and the royal family, Louis unmasked himself before Jeanne Antoinette, who was dressed as Diana the Huntress in reference to their encounter in the forest of Sénart.
Introduction to court
![Madame de Pompadour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Madame_de_Pompadour.jpg)
By March, she was the King's mistress, installed at Versailles in an apartment directly above his. On 7 May, the official separation between her and her husband was pronounced.
[Antoine, ''Louis XV'', Fayard, Paris (1989), pp. 493–95.] To be presented at court, she required a title. The King purchased the
marquisate
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
of
Pompadour on 24 June and gave the estate, with title and coat-of-arms, to Jeanne Antoinette, making her a ''
Marquise''.
On 14 September 1745, Madame de Pompadour made her formal entry before the King, presented by the King's cousin, the
Princess of Conti
The title of Princess of Conti was a French noble title, held by the wife of the Prince of Conti between 1582 and 1803 with an intermission between 1614 and 1654.
Princesses of Conti First Creation
Second Creation
Notes
{{Princesse ...
. Determined to make her place at court secure, Jeanne Antoinette immediately attempted to forge a good relationship with the royal family. After the Queen engaged Pompadour in a conversation by enquiring after a mutual acquaintance, Madame de Saissac, Pompadour responded in delight, swearing her respect and loyalty to
Marie Leszczyńska
Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; ; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska, was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of Stanis ...
. The Queen in return favored Jeanne Antoinette instead of the King's other mistresses. Pompadour quickly mastered the highly mannered court etiquette. However, her mother died on Christmas Day of the same year, and did not live to see her daughter's achievement of becoming the undisputed royal mistress.
Royal mistress
Through her position as court favourite, Pompadour wielded considerable power and influence; she was elevated on 12 October 1752 to duchess and in 1756 to lady-in-waiting to the Queen, the most noble rank possible for a woman at court. Pompadour effectively played the role of prime minister, becoming responsible for appointing advancements, favors and dismissals, and contributing in domestic and foreign politics.
![Jean-Marc Nattier, Madame de Pompadour en Diane (1746)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Jean-Marc_Nattier%2C_Madame_de_Pompadour_en_Diane_%281746%29.jpg)
In 1755, she was approached by
Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg
Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (german: Wenzel Anton Reichsfürst von Kaunitz-Rietberg, cz, Václav Antonín z Kounic a Rietbergu; 2 February 1711 – 27 June 1794) was an Austrian and Czech diplomat and statesman in the Habsburg mona ...
, a prominent Austrian diplomat, asking her to intervene in the negotiations which led to the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
. This was the beginning of the
Diplomatic Revolution
The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 was the reversal of longstanding alliances in Europe between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. Austria went from an ally of Britain to an ally of France, the Dutch Republic, a long sta ...
, which saw France allied to their former enemy Austria.
Under these changed alliances, the European powers entered the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, which saw France, Austria and Russia pitted against Britain and Prussia. France suffered a defeat at the hands of the Prussians in the
Battle of Rossbach
The Battle of Rossbach took place on 5November 1757 during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763, part of the Seven Years' War) near the village of Rossbach (Roßbach), in the Electorate of Saxony. It is sometimes called the Battle of, or at, Re ...
in 1757, and eventually lost the
American colonies to the British. After Rossbach, Madame de Pompadour is alleged to have comforted the king with the now-famous: "''
au reste, après nous, le Déluge''" ("Besides, after us, the
Deluge
A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood.
The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis.
Deluge may also refer to:
History
*Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Com ...
"). France emerged from the war diminished and virtually bankrupt.
Madame de Pompadour persisted in her support of these policies, and when
Cardinal de Bernis failed her, she brought Choiseul into office and supported and guided him in all his plans: the
Pacte de Famille
The ''Pacte de Famille'' (, ''Family Compact''; es, Pacto de Familia) is one of three separate, but similar alliances between the Bourbon kings of France and Spain. As part of the settlement of the War of the Spanish Succession that brought ...
, the suppression of the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
and the
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Kingdom of France, France and Spanish Empire, Spain, with Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in agree ...
.
Britain's victories in the war had allowed it to surpass France as the leading colonial power — something which was commonly blamed on Pompadour.
Pompadour protected the
Physiocrates school (its leader was
Quesnay, her own doctor) which paved the way for
Adam Smith
Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——— ...
's theories. She also defended the ''
Encyclopédie
''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
'' edited by
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...
and
Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the '' Encyclopéd ...
against those, among them the Archbishop of Paris
Christophe de Beaumont
Christophe de Beaumont du Repaire (19 June 1703– 12 December 1781) was a French cleric who belonged to a cadet branch of the Les Adrets and Saint-Quentin branches of the illustrious Dauphin family of Beaumont. He became Bishop of Bayonne in 17 ...
, who sought to have it suppressed.
In Diderot's first novel, ''Les bijoux indiscrets'' (
The Indiscreet Jewels
''The Indiscreet Jewels'' (or ''The Indiscreet Toys'', or ''The Talking Jewels''; french: Les Bijoux indiscrets) is the first novel by Denis Diderot, published anonymously in 1748. It is an allegory that portrays Louis XV of France as Mangogul, S ...
), the characters of Mangogul and Mirzoza are
allegories
As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
of Louis XV and Pompadour respectively. Diderot portrayed Pompadour in a flattering light, most likely to ensure her support for ''Encyclopedie''. Pompadour had a copy of ''Les bijoux indiscrets'' in her library, which may explain why the crown did not pursue Diderot for such an indiscretion against the king.
The marquise had many enemies among the royal courtiers who felt it a disgrace that the king would thus compromise himself with a commoner. She was very sensitive to the unending libels called ''poissonnades'', analogous to
mazarinade against
Cardinal Mazarin
Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...
and a pun on her family name, ''
Poisson'', which means "fish" in French. Only with great reluctance did Louis take punitive action against her known enemies, such as
Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (; 13 March 1696 – 8 August 1788), was a French soldier, diplomat and politician, statesman. He joined the army and participated in three major wars. He eventually rose to the ra ...
.
Friend of the King
![L'Amitié sous les traits de Mme de Pompadour Pigalle Louvre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/L%27Amiti%C3%A9_sous_les_traits_de_Mme_de_Pompadour_Pigalle_Louvre.jpg)
Madame de Pompadour was able to wield such influence at court due to the invaluable role she played as a friend and confidante of the King. In opposition to previous mistresses of Louis XV, Pompadour made herself invaluable to the King by becoming the only person whom Louis trusted and who could be counted on to tell him the truth. Pompadour was an indispensable comfort to Louis who was prone to melancholy and boredom. She alone was able to captivate and amuse him, and would entertain Louis with elegant private parties and operas sometimes even with his wife, Queen Marie Leszczyńska in attendance since she would
also invite her with the help of the King, afternoons of hunting, and journeying among their various real estate holdings.
Around 1750 Madame de Pompadour's role as friend of the King became her solitary role, as she ceased her sexual relationship with the King. The end of this sexual relationship was in part attributed to Pompadour's poor health, as she suffered the aftereffects of
whooping cough
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or t ...
, recurring colds and
bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
, spitting blood, headaches, three
miscarriage
Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...
s to the King, as well as an unconfirmed case of
leucorrhoea. In addition Pompadour admitted to having “the misfortune to be of a very cold temperament” and attempts to increase her libido with a diet of
truffles
A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...
,
celery
Celery (''Apium graveolens'') is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, lea ...
and
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the p ...
were unsuccessful. Furthermore, in 1750 the
Jubilee year
A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of ...
placed pressure upon the King to repent of his sins and renounce his mistress. In order to cement her continuing importance as favourite in the face of these impediments, Pompadour took on the role of "friend of the King" which she announced through artistic patronage. Pompadour's announcement was most prominently declared through her commission from
Jean Baptiste Pigalle
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (26 January 1714 – 20 August 1785) was a French sculptor.
Life
Pigalle was born in Paris, the seventh child of a carpenter. Although he failed to obtain the '' Prix de Rome'', after a severe struggle he entered the '' ...
, of a sculpture representing herself as Amitié
riendship offering herself to a now lost pendant sculpture of Louis XV. Pompadour also had a related sculpture depicted in a portrait of herself painted by François Boucher in 1759.
The consecration and the château de Saint-Ouen
Built in the second half of the 17th century, the
château de Saint-Ouen, (near Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department), has belonged to the prestigious dukes of Gesvres until its destruction in 1821, to built the actual château for the comtesse du Cayla.
After the sale of her , unexpectedly, the marquise de Pompadour did not purchase Saint-Ouen but benefited from the usufruct of this residence from 1759 until her death in 1764.
The plan of the château, originally designed by
Antoine Lepautre
Antoine Lepautre or Le Pautre (1621–1679) was a French architect and engraver. Born in Paris, he was the brother of the prolific and inventive designer-engraver Jean Lepautre. Antoine Lepautre has been called " "one of the most inventive archit ...
, was a classical U-shape and consisted of a long façade with two wings prolonging the main body, facing the river Seine on the garden side.
Saint-Ouen's originality resided in its interior distribution: the main body consisted of a succession of three "salons à l'italienne", whose decoration was entirely modified by the
Slodtz family in the 1750s for the Gesvres family. In French architecture, a "salon à l'italienne" is a room filling all the height of a building: a memorable example is the Grand salon at
Vaux-le-Vicomte
The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (English: Palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte) is a Baroque French château located in Maincy, near Melun, southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne department of Île-de-France.
Built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas ...
.
In addition to this layout, as soon as Mme de Pompadour acquired the estate, a vast project of reorganisation of the entire buildings (including stables and dependences) was planned, costing more than 500.000 livres. In the absence of the original plans, a restitution of the ground floor has been proposed. It seems that the architect who supervised this reorganisation was
Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Ange-Jacques Gabriel (23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of Ve ...
, who, at that time, directed all the renovation and building works of the different residences of Mme de Pompadour.
Using the central "salon à l'italienne" as a pivot, an appartement was created for the King as a counterpart to that of the henceforth Duchesse de Pompadour, making the prestigious château de Saint-Ouen into a reflection of her own status - a symbol of her social and political achievements.
Historical misconceptions
Despite misconceptions perpetuated by her contemporaries and much of historical discourse, Pompadour did not supplement her role as mistress by employing replacement lovers for the king. Following the cessation of Pompadour's sexual relationship with Louis, the King met with young women in a house in Versailles established particularly for that purpose, called the
Parc-aux-Cerfs
A Parc-aux-Cerfs (literally, stag park), in France, was generally the name given to the clearings that provided hunting fields for the French aristocracy prior to the French Revolution. The name is most notoriously known in history for an area i ...
, or Stag Park. It was not, as often described, a harem; it was occupied by only one woman at a time. Pompadour was not involved, other than to accept it as a “necessity”. Pompadour's only contribution to the Stag Park was to accept it as a favorable alternative to a rival at court, as she stated: "It is his heart I want! All these little girls with no education will not take it from me. I would not be so calm if I saw some pretty woman of the court or the capital trying to conquer it."
Patron and participant in the arts
![Pompadour6](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Pompadour6.jpg)
Madame de Pompadour was an influential patron of the arts who played a central role in making Paris the perceived capital of taste and culture in Europe. She attained this influence through the appointment of her guardian Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem, and later her brother, Abel Poisson in the post of ''Directeur Général des Bâtiments'', which controlled government policy and expenditures for the arts. She championed French pride by constructing and later outright buying a
porcelain factory at Sèvres in 1759, which became one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers in Europe, and which provided skilled jobs for the region. Numerous sculptors and portrait painters were patronized by Pompadour, among them the court artist
Jean-Marc Nattier
Jean-Marc Nattier (17 March 1685 – 7 November 1766) was a French painter. He was born in Paris, the second son of Marc Nattier (1642–1705), a portrait painter, and of Marie Courtois (1655–1703), a miniaturist. He is noted for h ...
, in the 1750s
François Boucher,
Jean-Baptiste Réveillon Jean-Baptiste Réveillon (1725–1811) was a French wallpaper manufacturer. In 1789 Réveillon made a statement on the price of bread that was misinterpreted by the Parisian populace as advocating lower wages. He fled France after his home and his w ...
and
François-Hubert Drouais
François-Hubert Drouais (Paris, 14 December 1727 – Paris, 21 October 1775) was a leading French portrait painter during the latter years of Louis XV's reign.For a history of the Drouais family, see Prosper Dorbec (1904, 1905) and Camille Gabill ...
.
She patronized
Jacques Guay
Jacques Guay (1711–93) was a French gemstone engraver, a protégé of Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), mistress of King Louis XV of France (1710–74). He was the most eminent gemstone engraver of his time, the official engraver of the king, an ...
, the
gemstone engraver, who taught her to engrave in
onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
,
jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
and other semi-precious stones.
Pompadour greatly influenced and stimulated innovation in what is known as the "
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
" style in the fine and decorative arts: for example, through her patronage of the artists like Boucher and the constant refurnishing of the fifteen residences she held with Louis. Like Pompadour, this style was critiqued by some as a pernicious "feminine" influence, despite the fact that it was embraced by many men as well as women (Hyde, 456–458). However it is also widely recognised that Madame de Pompadour engaged with prominent artists as a way to capture the attention of the king whilst cultivating her public image. The
oil sketch
An oil sketch or oil study is an artwork made primarily in oil paint in preparation for a larger, finished work. Originally these were created as preparatory studies or modelli, especially so as to gain approval for the design of a larger commissi ...
of Pompadour's lost portrait by Boucher sits in the Starhemberg room at
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation ...
built by
Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild
Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (17 December 1839 – 17 December 1898), also known as Ferdinand James Anselm Freiherr von Rothschild, was a British Jewish banker, art collector and politician who was a member of the prominent Rothschild family ...
, surrounded by Sèvres porcelain, another industry that she greatly influenced and innovated through personal dissemination across an international network of her own clientele.
In addition to supporting the arts as a patron, Pompadour also participated in them more directly. Besides being one of the few 18th-century practitioners of gem engraving, she was an acclaimed stage actress in plays staged at her private theaters at Versailles and
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to:
Placenames
Australia
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales
Canada ...
(Hyde, 463–4). Melissa Hyde has suggested that some of the artworks made under Pompadour's purview by other hands, notably the 1758 portrait by Boucher of ''Mme de Pompadour at Her Toilette'', can be fruitfully viewed as collaborations with Pompadour.
Madame de Pompadour is considered an ''
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
printmaker'' who made print
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...
s with the help of Boucher.
She had engraving equipment, to create the prints of works by Boucher and Guay, brought within her personal apartments in Versailles
Her political mind can also be attributed to her great book collection. She collected influential books such as the ''History of the Stuarts'', printed in 1760 with her own printing press which can be determined through the stamp markings of her arms located on the cover. Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, an avid 19th-century collector in London and Waddesdon Manor, collected a number of her books, including this previously mentioned book and a copy of her published catalogue of books from 1764, which lists her entire collection.
Artwork
Madame de Pompadour created 52
engraved prints, of drawings by
Boucher, after gemstone engravings by Guay.
Her collection of work, in book form, is called "''Suite d'Estampes Gravées Par Madame la Marquise de Pompadour d'Apres les Pierres Gravées de Guay, Graveur du Roy''"
which translates to in English as "''Series of Prints engraved by Madame la Marquise de Pompadour after the engraved stones of Guay, engraver of the King''".
The personal portfolio of Madame de Pompadour was found in the
Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...
manuscript room by art historian Susan Wager.
Some art historians argue whether or not she should be considered a collaborator with the artists under her patronage, since there is no documentation of how much Pompadour might have contributed to the works; whose idea, and whose composition, will remain a mystery.
;List of museums and libraries with a copy of her portfolio
* Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
*
Met Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, New York
*
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, London
*
Boston Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...
*
Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
The Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal (''Library of the Arsenal'', founded 1757) in Paris has been part of the Bibliothèque nationale de France since 1934.
History
The collections of the library originated with the private library of Marc-René, 3rd ...
, Paris
* Rothschild collection, Louvre
* Bibliothèque de Troyes
File:Infant Bacchus drawing by Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Infant Bacchus''; engraving by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Leda drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Leda''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Dog drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Dog''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Offering to the God drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Offering to the God Terme (or Terminus)''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Love drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Love''; Engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Amour presenting a bouquet drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Love Presenting a Bouquet''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Love sacrificing to friendship drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Love Sacrificing to Friendship''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755.
File:Amour at peace in the reign of Justice drawing by François Boucher engraved by Madame de Pompadour after a work by Jacques Guay c. 1755.jpg, ''Love at Peace in the Reign of Justice''; engraved print by Madame de Pompadour of a drawing by Boucher, after an engraved gemstone by Guay c. 1755
Death
![F](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/F._H._Drouais_M._Pompadour.jpg)
Louis XV remained devoted to Pompadour until her death from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in 1764 at the age of forty-two. Louis nursed her through her illness. Even her enemies admired her courage during the final painful weeks. Voltaire wrote: "I am very sad at the death of Madame de Pompadour. I was indebted to her and I mourn her out of gratitude. It seems absurd that while an ancient pen-pusher, hardly able to walk, should still be alive, a beautiful woman, in the midst of a splendid career, should die at the age of forty-two." Many of her enemies were, however, greatly relieved. Looking at the rain during the departure of his mistress's coffin from Versailles, the devastated king reportedly said: "''La marquise n'aura pas de beau temps pour son voyage.''" ("The marquise will not have good weather for her journey".) She was buried at the
Couvent des Capucines in Paris.
Portrayals in film and television
Madame de Pompadour has been depicted on screen in film and television on many occasions, beginning in 1924 with
Paulette Duval
Paulette Duval (1889 – 1951) was a French dancer and actress of the silent film era and early sound motion pictures. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1889 and raised in France. She was considered one of the most beautiful women ...
opposite
Rudolph Valentino in ''
Monsieur Beaucaire''. A biopic came out three years later called ''
Madame Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de 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 King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
'' directed by
Herbert Wilcox
Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director.
He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...
, in which she was played by
Dorothy Gish
Dorothy Elizabeth Gish (March 11, 1898June 4, 1968) was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great s ...
. Other actresses to have played her include:
*
Anny Ahlers
Anny Ahlers (21 December 1902 – 14 March 1933) was a German actress and singer. She was born in Hamburg.
Career
She was born to Wilhelm Ahlers and his wife Augusta Victoria (Lieberg). Her father was an Army officer and her maternal grandmother ...
(''
Madame Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de 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 King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
'', 1931)
*
Doris Kenyon
Doris Margaret Kenyon (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1979) was an American actress of motion pictures and television.
Early life
She grew up in Syracuse, New York, where her family had a home at 1805 Harrison Street. Her father, Dr. Ja ...
(''
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...
'', 1933)
*
Jeanne Boitel
Jeanne Boitel (; 4 January 1904 – 7 August 1987) was a French film actress. She played a role in the Resistance during World War II, using the surname of ''Mozart''.
She met Jacques Jaujard during her resistance activities in the war, and marr ...
(', 1938)
*
Hillary Brooke
Hillary Brooke (born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson; September 8, 1914 – May 25, 1999) was an American film actress.
Career
A 5′6″ blonde from the Astoria neighborhood of New York City's borough of Queens, Brooke, who was of Swedish an ...
(''
Monsieur Beaucaire'', 1946)
*
Geneviève Page
Geneviève Page (born Geneviève Bonjean, 13 December 1927) is a French actress with a film career spanning fifty years and also numerous English-speaking film productions. She is the daughter of French art collector Jacques Paul Bonjean (1899– ...
''(
Fanfan la Tulipe
''Fanfan la Tulipe'' is a 1952 French comedy adventure film directed by Christian-Jaque. It has also been categorized under swashbuckler films. The film starred Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida. The film was remade in 2003 with Penél ...
'', 1952)
*
Micheline Presle
Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...
(''
Royal Affairs in Versailles'', 1954)
* (', 1958)
*
Elfie Mayerhofer
Elfie Mayerhofer (1917–1992) was an Austrian film actress and singer. A noted stage performer, she played lead roles in a series of musical and operetta films such as '' The Song of the Nightingale'' (1944) and '' The Heavenly Waltz'' (1949). ...
(''
Madame Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de 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 King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
'', 1960)
*
Noëmi Nadelmann (''Madame Pompadour'', 1996)
*
Katja Flint
Katja Flint (born 11 November 1959 in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony) is a German actress. She has appeared in over 100 film and television productions since 1982. Among her more notable roles is Marlene Dietrich in the film biopic ''Marlene'' (2000) ...
(', 2002)
*
Hélène de Fougerolles
Hélène Christine Marie Rigoine de Fougerolles (; born 25 February 1973) is a French actress who was twice nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress (known as the French Oscar) for Arthur Joffé's ''Let There Be Light'' (1998) ...
(''
Fanfan la Tulipe
''Fanfan la Tulipe'' is a 1952 French comedy adventure film directed by Christian-Jaque. It has also been categorized under swashbuckler films. The film starred Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida. The film was remade in 2003 with Penél ...
'', 2003)
*
Sophia Myles
Sophia Jane Myles (; born 18 March 1980) is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in ''Thunderbirds'' (2004), Isolde in '' Tristan & Isolde'' (2006), Darcy in '' Transformers: Age of Extincti ...
(as an adult) and Jessica Atkins (as a child) in "
The Girl in the Fireplace
"The Girl in the Fireplace" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 6 May 2006. Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Euros Lyn, the epi ...
", an episode of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'', 2006.
that existed from 1755 to 1881, was nicknamed "The Pompadours", as the purple facing of the regiment's uniform was allegedly Pompadour's
.
.
(French champagne glass) is sometimes claimed to have been modelled on the shape of her breast, although this is probably not the case.
* ''
in 1924.
* She was the subject of several portraits throughout her lifetime.
* According to legend, the "
" diamond, also called "navette", was commissioned by Louis XV to resemble the mouth of Madame de Pompadour.
* The
'', the role of the Countess recalls the great names of the artists of her past: "and sometimes even the Marquise de Pompadour in person!"
song "Personality" featuring the Pied Pipers.
* Algrant, Christine Pevitt. ''Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France'' (2003
* Jones, Colin. ''Madame de Pompadour: Images of a Mistress'' (2002), by a leading scholar
* Mitford, Nancy. ''Madame De Pompadour'' (1954
*Moncure, James A. ed. ''Research Guide to European Historical Biography: 1450–Present'' (4 volumes, 1992); 4:1646–53