The Toilette of Venus

Madame de Pompadour commissioned this Venus for a panelled room at her château of Bellevue. Boucher turns the goddess’s toilette into an elaborate arrangement of fabric, furniture and attending cupids. The painting belongs to the decorative world of the French court and Rococo design.

Venus sits on a couch with one leg extended. The body’s turn continues the curves of surrounding furniture and drapery.

A winged child appears above the goddess. Several cupids transform the toilette into a mythological scene.

A cupid behind Venus raises an arm. Figures occupy different heights, drawing attention across the entire decorative group.

A child holds strings of pearls. Jewellery belongs to the goddess’s toilette and adds to the abundance of costly objects.

The green curtain on the right gathers into heavy folds. Coloured fabrics fill much of the space, reflecting Boucher’s involvement with interior decoration.

The gilded couch has curved forms and a shell ornament. Furniture and painting share the decorative vocabulary of Rococo.

Boucher designed for theatre, tapestries, books and porcelain. Pompadour was his principal patron from 1750 until her death. The painting shows how court patronage connected painting with the decoration of lived interiors.