Madame de Pompadour was born as Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (freely translated: Joanna Fish) in central Paris in 1721. The charming Jeanne-Antoinette was raised to be a well-educated young woman with a wide range of interests. Fondly they called her "Reinette"(French for "little queen") from an early age, according to the stories because a fortune-teller had told her that she would one day rule the heart of a king.
From 2 March 2024 on view
Read more about the publication that will appear during the exhibition here
In 1745, the crown prince of France married. A grand costume ball took place at the Palace of Versailles, which was also attended by Jeanne-Antoinette, dressed as a shepherdess. Louis XV (1710-1774) was dressed as an ornamented yew tree, in the company of seven other men wearing the same costume. This shared disguise allowed the king to move quite anonymously among the guests. It was on this evening that a shepherdess and a yew tree, without masks, happily in a conversation, were first spotted together. Not long after, Madame d'Etoiles was installed as Louis XV's new mistress and continued to live as the Marquise de Pompadour. Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour developed a particularly intimate relationship. Over the years her role evolved from that of a mistress to that of an intimate friend, confidant, advisor, uncrowned minister of culture and "godmother of rococo.
Which iconic character from the exhibition are you?
