Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour

Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, better known as the Marquise de Pompadour, was the most famous mistress in French history—chief confidante and cultural director of Louis XV's court from 1745 until her death in 1764. She exercised extraordinary influence over royal policy, artistic patronage, and court appointments, and was the central figure in the cultural life of mid-century France. Nattier's 1746 portrait at Versailles was painted just one year into her official role as maîtresse-en-titre, capturing her at the moment of her greatest youthful power. Unlike some other Nattier portraits, this depicts Pompadour without mythological conceit—she is herself, not a goddess, reflecting her own preference for being represented as an intelligent, cultivated woman rather than a decorative deity. The portrait belongs to a vast iconographic tradition surrounding Pompadour, whose image was produced by virtually every major French artist of the period, including Boucher, Drouais, and La Tour.

The absence of mythological apparatus means this portrait relies entirely on the quality of Nattier's figure painting and his ability to capture personality. The Marquise's famous combination of intelligence and physical beauty had to be conveyed through the face and bearing alone.