Madame de Pompadour

Madame de Pompadour, the quintessential patron of French Rococo art, appears in this portrait at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, painted in 1764—the year of her death. Pompadour"s relationship with the arts made her one of the most depicted women in European history, and this late portrait captures her in the final months of a life that had shaped the visual culture of an era. Drouais was among the most successful portraitists of pre-Revolutionary France, working in the tradition of his father Hubert Drouais and studying under Carle van Loo, Natoire, and Boucher before establishing himself at court.

Drouais presents Pompadour with the dignity and beauty that all her portraits emphasized, though the late date may permit subtle indications of the illness that would claim her life. The costume and setting reflect her famous taste, rendered with Drouais"s characteristic precision. The palette is elegant and restrained, with the refined color harmonies that Pompadour"s own aesthetic sense would have approved.