Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry

1770 · National Gallery of Art, Washington

portrait

Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry (1743-1793), was the mistress of Louis XV. She was the natural daughter of a poor woman of Vaucouleurs. Placed in a convent in Paris at an early age, she received a very slight education, learning little but the catechism and drawing; and at the age of sixteen entered a milliner's shop in the rue St Honoré.

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About the Artist

François-Hubert Drouais

1727 – 1775

French portrait painter. He trained under Boucher (among others) and became a rival to Nattier as a fashionable portraitist. His portraits have a gracious and artificial charm and at their best bear comparison with those of Boucher. He was particularly successful with children, but his best known painting is probably the very grand portrait of Mme Pompadour in the National Gallery, London (1763-64), completed after the sitter's death. His father, Hubert (1699-1767) and his son, Germain (1763-1788) were painters.

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