Who was the influential mistress of Louis XV and a major patron of Rococo art?

Madame de Pompadour was the influential mistress of Louis XV and a major patron of Rococo art.

Born Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, she became Louis XV’s official chief mistress in 1745 and was granted the title Marquise de Pompadour. Although their sexual relationship ended around 1750, she remained the king’s trusted friend, adviser, and court favourite until her death.

Pompadour used her influence to support painters, sculptors, architects, porcelain makers, and writers. She strongly backed François Boucher, commissioned portraits and decorative works, and helped promote the fashionable refinement associated with mature French Rococo. Her patronage also supported the Sèvres porcelain manufactory, which became a major symbol of French luxury.

She is sometimes confused with Madame du Barry, Louis XV’s later favourite. Du Barry was also connected with the court and the arts, but Pompadour was the earlier and more consequential Rococo patron, especially during the movement’s mid-18th-century flowering.