In 1745, the fortune

In 1745, the fortune teller’s prophecy cametrue. The 35-year-old King who had ruledFrance since he was five years old, fell for the24-year-old Jean-Antoinette. He had by thenbeen married for 20 years to Queen MarieLeszczyńska, daughter of the deposed KingStanislaw of Poland. Within three months ofmeeting the King, Jeanne-Antoinette officiallyseparated from Charles-Guillaume andwas installed at the palace in an apartmentdirectly above the King’s, connected by asecret staircase.Madeleine Poisson did not live to see herdaughter become Louis’s undisputed favourite;she died in the spring before Louis elevatedJeanne-Antoinette from commoner to titledMarquise when he purchased the DordogneValley-based Marquisate of Pompadour inJuly. She was formally introduced to his courtin September 1745.Pink marquise cutdiamond, named afterMadame de PompadourHer modeststart in life wasa drawback atthe court ofVersailles whereimage was all.But Madamede Pompadour’scharm and witwon her farmore friendsthan enemies.She threw granddinner partiesand had plays written and performed with heras female lead to appeal to the King’s tastesand flatter him. She commissioned portraitsof herself to remind him of her beauty. It’s saidthat the champagne coupe was modelled onher breasts and the marquise cut diamondstyle was named for her after the kingcommissioned a jeweller to create a jewel inthe shape of her mouth which he consideredto be “perfect.”Ever mindful of the King’s needs, aftersuffering several miscarriages, the cannyMadame de Pompadour organised mistresseswhile she was rested. Left with fragile health,she retired from her mistress duties at just29, but Louis remained devoted to her, andshe became his most valued confidante. Herelied on her advice on everything from artto foreign policy. She became the unofficialminister of culture and his trusted politicaladvisor; she could control who had accessto an audience with the king and even madestatements on his behalf.Salon Pompadour at the Elysee Palaceby G. Garitan via WikimediaMuseumPompadour pink potpourrivase by Sèvres, 1757donated to WikimediaCommons as part of aproject by the MetropolitanMuseum of ArtFor 20 years, she was the most powerfulwoman in France. An uncrowned queen.During Madame de Pompadour’s “reign,”her influence was felt across France. Shewas wealthy enough to purchase the Hôteld'Évreux in Paris, now the Élysée Palace,official home of French presidents. Sheencouraged the creation of the Sèvresporcelain factory, which became one of themost famous porcelain manufacturers inEurope, she even had a deep shade of pinkcreated by Sevres named after her by theking, ‘Pompadour Pink’ is still popular! Shepromoted the development of the PlaceLouis XV, now Place de la Concorde,and convinced the king to build the PetitTrianon. And in 1751 she encouraged thepublication of the first two volumes of theEncyclopédie by Diderot and d'Alembert,even though the Church sought to havethem suppressed. But she was also blamedPetit Trianon, Versailleshttps://frenchcountryadventures.com/for influencing the 7 Years War betweenthe UK and France. France lost, leavingordinary people to pay off the hugedebt the war accrued, which ultimatelycontributed to the French Revolution.Madame de Pompadour died of tuberculosisat the Palace of Versailles in 1764 aged43. Looking at the rain during the removalof his mistress’ coffin, the devastated Kingreportedly said: “La marquise n’aura pas debeau temps pour son voyage” (The marquisewon’t have good weather for her journey.)Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Madamede Pompadour, was laid to rest at theCouvent des Capucines in Paris, near PlaceVendôme, and there she allegedly remainsthough the Convent was demolished in1806. It’s said she lies beneath a jewellersshop at No. 3 rue de la Paix.At the Palace of Versailles, follow inMadame de Pompadour’s footsteps(in English) Visit Guided tour –The King’s favorites50 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 51