Portrait of Mme Pompadour

This portrait, painted in 1758, reflects the conventions of eighteenth-century portraiture . François Boucher, the leading painter of the French Rococo and favorite artist of Madame de Pompadour, brings sensuous brushwork to the depiction of the sitter. Boucher's portraiture matches his decorative subjects in its emphasis on elegance and surface charm, deploying his characteristic soft palette to flatter sitters with an air of effortless aristocratic grace. His portraits of Madame de Pompadou...

The portrait is rendered with pastel palette that characterizes François Boucher's best work. Oil on canvas provides a rich ground for the subtle gradations of flesh tone and the textural contrasts between skin, fabric, and background that give the image its convincing presence.