Many of the Wallace Collection’s outstanding and internationally renowned rococo objects owe their existence to the patronage of Madame de Pompadour. Over the course of three sessions, we’ll learn about Pompadour’s extraordinary life – how she rose from ordinary beginnings to become King Louis XV’s mistress and subsequently one of the most powerful women in 18th-century France.

Looking closely at key objects from our collection, we’ll discover how the outstanding paintings and Sèvres porcelain, exquisite furniture and oriental lacquer that Pompadour amassed not only revealed her taste, but could also enhance her reputation and status. In addition to her patronage, we’ll also discuss the amateur prints that she produced, which reveal her own creativity.

Read the full course description here.

Joining Information and Format: This course will be taught through Zoom Webinar. Each course session duration is 120 minutes, including a five-minute break and Q&A session with the tutor.  

Tickets are for all dates of this course. Ticketholders will be emailed the Zoom link, Webinar ID and Passcode 24 hours in advance of the first course session, which should be retained for accessing all sessions.   

Course Recording: This course will be recorded. Within 48 hours of each course session, ticket holders will be emailed a link to view the recording, which will be available for two weeks.