Madame de Pompadour: The Favorite of Louis XV

Madame de Pompadour, whose real name was Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (1721-1764), was the mistress of King Louis XV, who bestowed upon her the title of Marquise.

Madame de Pompadour Favorite of Louis XV
Pompadour at Her Toilette (detail; 1750 with later additions), François Boucher. Image: Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum