Madame de Pompadour
The main objective of this slide
show is to gain visual exposure to
the decorative arts during the
Rococo period and Madame
de Pompadour’s influence and
patronage.
Madame de
Pompadour lived
from 1721 to 1764.
She was a great
patron of art and
culture while she
reigned as Louis
XV’s mistress.
This is the actual
dress she wore
when she sat for
her picture in the
previous slide. It
reflected the
elaborate,
feminine
characteristics of
French art during
the 1700’s
She caught the eye of the king at a famous masked ball
in Versailles in 1745. Louis was disguised as a tree
during this ball.
She managed to maintain a good
relationship with the Queen, Louis XV’s
wife, who said “Better her, than any other.”
Madame de
Pompadour loved
beautiful objects.
This was the age of
beautiful furniture.
In fact, even to this
day FFF is considered
the apex of art and
beauty.
Pillar mirrors
(mirrors that
extend down the
wall) were popular.
They reflected the
candlelight found
in the salons of
Paris and France.
Sedan chairs were carried
by footmen so the
aristocrat’s feet did not get
wet or muddy.
These books were owned by
Madame de Pompadour…
Madame de Pompadour
supported the Duke of
Choiseul to be Foreign
Minister of France.
Choiseul strongly
favored the alliance with
Austria.
This alliance broke up
the alliance with Prussia,
forced Prussia to side
with England, and in
the end, France lost its
colonies in the New
World.
As a result, Madame de Pompadour was
blamed for the ruin of France, and the
outcome of the Seven Years War.
Her legacy remains the beautiful objects and
romantic inspiration of the Rococo age.
The word Rococo means shell work, and
clam shells feature prominently, along with
flourishes and flowers in Rococo art work.
Remember, Rococo has an essentially
Feminine feel to it.
Madame de
Pompadour
wore a cameo
of Louis XV
on her wrist.
Aristocratic
ladies had
elaborate
dressing tables,
called toilettes
with beautifully
crafted objects
on them.
These are
Madame de
Pompadour’s
rooms that have
been
reconstructed at
Versailles!
The gold fish became
fashionable in France when
the India Company sent a
number of beautiful fish to
Madame de Pompadour, in
1750.
She used to keep the red
fishes into jugs made of glass
or porcelain on the
mantelpieces as well as on the
windowsills of Versailles.
A glass pattern created in
France and promoted by
a clever publicity
operation. It was said
that it was molded on
Madame de Pompadour’s
breast.
Maybe for this legend
people sometimes drink
champagne in this kind
of glasses.
She ceased to be Louis’ mistress, but
remained his trusted friend. She died of
Tuberculosis at age 42.
She supported
some of the
greatest minds
of the
Enlightenment.
Hated by the French
people, she was
nonetheless a
symbol of the age.
Her patronage of the
arts left a glorious
cultural legacy to
France.
The main objective of this slide show
was to gain visual exposure to the
decorative arts during the Rococo
period and Madame de
Pompadour’s influence and
patronage.