Watteau, Pilgrimage to Cythera                                 Boucher, Mme de Pompadour

The painters of the French court before the Revolution utilized a style termed “rococo” for its similarity to a playful architectural décor. Subject matter revolved around the activities of the French aristocracy, a leisure class who prided themselves on their education, manners, and elaborate taste. Watteau characters appear in a garden party with an allusion to the allegorical island of love. Mme de Pompadour was Louis XV’s mistress and led court taste while in power. She is shown reclining in full dress among the lavish articles of a palatial interior.