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Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764)

1748–51
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 631
The portrait was completed in 1751 when Madame de Pompadour was thirty years old. It was probably meant for her residence château de Bellevue, which was finished the same year. She chose the stone for the bust, a hard and brittle marble, with the intention of promoting the use of local French materials. This piece was the first to be made of the white marble from the newly discovered quarry of Sost in the French Pyrenees.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764)
  • Artist: Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (French, 1714–1785)
  • Date: 1748–51
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: White marble (Sost, the French Pyrenees)
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 29 7/8 × 18 5/8 × 11 3/8 in. (75.9 × 47.3 × 28.9 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.7.70
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Autumn (one of a pair), Jean-Baptiste Pigalle French, Marble, French, Paris or Versailles
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Sabine Houdon (1787–1836), Jean Antoine Houdon French, White marble on gray marble socle, French, Paris
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Madame de Wailly, née Adélaïde-Flore Belleville (1765–1838), Augustin Pajou French, Bust: marble; base: grey marble, French, Paris
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