Madame de Pompadour - the favorite of the king and the unofficial ruler of France

Elvis Presley's famous hairstyle was named after Madame Pampadour, a wide glass of champagne “compartment” was an exact copy of her left breast. According to legend, diamonds, the cut of which is called the Marquise, were created in such a way as to resemble the shape of her lips. Nevertheless, the influence of Madame Pompadour did not extend to this alone. She was the uncrowned queen of France and for almost 20 years influenced state affairs, she patronized writers, scientists, artists and musicians. Voltaire himself was looking for meetings with her.

Fate decreed that Joan-Antoinette Poisson became the main favorite of King Louis XV: when she was little, the fortuneteller predicted that one day she would win the king’s heart. Therefore, when she entered adolescence, her mother strictly followed her education. After all, the favorite of the king should be developed diversely. The girl had to learn whole plays by heart, dance, sing, draw, engrave and play the instruments.

At age 19, Jeanne married Charles Guillaume d'Etiol, the owner of the estate Etiol, which was an obvious marriage of convenience. She gave birth to two children from her husband, but both of them died in childhood. Soon Jeanne-Antoinette opened her own salon, which became very famous in Parisian aristocratic circles. Many intellectuals of that time gathered in it. There she made friends with Voltaire and the encyclopedists.

Madame turned into a real celebrity, to such an extent that rumors about her intellect, talents and beauty reached the king. The close associates of Louis V decided to introduce her to the king, and the masquerade ball at Versailles was an ideal occasion for this. In 1745, Jeanne-Antoinette appeared at the ball in the robes of a hunting goddess. It was a "yew ball", organized on the occasion of the Dauphin wedding, all the courtiers donned suits reminiscent of yew trees. Louis himself was masked. The environment noticed that he did not take his eyes off the brilliant stranger. A month later, Jeanne Antoinette was already the official royal mistress. She was settled in Versailles in an apartment above the king’s bedroom, connected with a secret staircase. The king granted her the title of Marquise and the estate of Pompadour in the Limousin region.

It was a period of its heyday, reflected in French culture. The Marquise was a passionate patroness of architects, artists, scientists, writers. She herself did prints and drawings, invited a talented stone-processing master to Paris. She created cameos from semiprecious stones for rings and bracelets, which she then distributed as gifts.

In 1740, in Sevres, she created the famous porcelain manufacture.

Marquise perfectly, unlike the king, was versed in literature. She was friends with Duclos, Marmontel, supported the French economists of the Enlightenment, defended Diderot's Encyclopedia from church attacks, supported scientists, including financially.

The influence of the marquise extended not only to science and culture, but to politics. However, here its positive influence, rather, ends. The authority of France in the European arena in the mid-18th century fell sharply. The Marquise prompted the king to appoint Cardinal Burnie as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He promoted the conclusion of an alliance between France and Austria. And this, in turn, changed the system of diplomatic relations established over the centuries and all the principles of European politics. The result was the Seven Years War. Bernie was handsome and wrote good poems. But, unfortunately, not always sympathy for handsome men helps in state affairs. By the way, having resigned, Bernie devoted himself completely to literature. True, Voltaire said that his poems were rubbish. However, the philosopher was notorious.

Portraits of Madame Pompadour were a special genre in painting. According to the Goncourt brothers, she used portraits to communicate with the king and the French, declaring her fidelity, love and intelligence ... She was directly related to the spread of such a style in art as Rococo. Francois Boucher found in the person of Madame Pompadour his most enthusiastic admirer.

In addition to portraits, she ordered a tapestry from Boucher, which was intended only for her. She asked to symbolically depict the story of Ovid about sunset and sunrise. Madame Pompadour was portrayed as the nymph Tethys, greeting the setting sun of Louis XV. Thus, she reacted to the indifference of the monarch. The picture was officially demonstrated in 1753 and made a splash.

The angel of death flew after her at 42 years old. Louis coolly reacted to the demise of the "gracious lover."

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