François Boucher: Portrait of Madame de Pompadour (1756)

(Alte Pinakothek, Munich. Germany)

A painting by the French artist François Boucher (1703-1770). The painting shows Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1721 – 1764) - better known as 'Madame de Pompadour'. Jeanne was the official 'maîtresse-en-titre' (the chief mistress) of king Louis XV of France from 1745. introduced at the royal court at a masked ball, she quickly became the king's favorite. After 1750 Louis and Jeanne stopped having a sexual relationship, mainly because of her poor health. Nevertheless she still was friend and confidant of the King and took charge of the king’s schedule. Jeanne died from tuberculosis in 1764 at the age of 42, leaving a devastated Louis behind. Painting from 1756.