On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Henry Swinburne
Pompeo Batoni Italian
An inveterate traveler, Swinburne shared his experiences in letters and books. While in France, in April 1774, the British writer went to Versailles to be presented to Louis XV, not long before the latter’s death. That same day, Swinburne visited Madame Du Barry in her rooms under the roof of the palace. Although he found the king’s mistress gracious, he did not "think her a pleasing figure now, whatever she may have been." He later toured Spain and Italy, where Batoni painted this beautifully modeled portrait in 1779.
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