Marquise de Pompadour was born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson on December 29, 1721.  Her father was a Parisian banker who at one point in his life had to flee abroad because of a financial scandal. Mademoiselle Poisson was raised to be a young lady of exquisite taste and sharpest mind, who soon won herself a great reputation in the Parisian society. She married a cousin at the age of 20 and gave birth to a daughter. Four years later her presence at the court drew the attention of Louis XV and she soon became the king's mistress. The king at this time was 35 in age and maintained a cordial but remote relationship with the queen, Marie, who was eight years older and the mother of ten children. Having won the admiration and confidence of the king, Madame de Pompadour started to exert great influence on both artistic and political affairs of France. She was particularly active as a patron of art, a fact that made her well-respected by notable artists of the time and some intellectuals of the Enlightenment. Her involvement in politics, however, eventually did great damage upon her, especially after France lost Canada to England as result of the disastrous Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Madame Pompadour died in 1764, at the age of 43.

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