Madame de Pompadour in Turquerie

Mavi Boncuk | A Turquerie[1] of Madame de Pompadour[2] portrayed as a Turkish lady in 1747 by Charles André van Loo [3]

[1] Turquerie was the Orientalist fashion in Western Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries for imitating aspects of Turkish art and culture, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, and at the beginning of the period the only power to pose a serious military threat to Europe. This fashionable phenomenon became more popular through trading routes and increased diplomatic relationships between the Ottomans and the European nations, exemplified by the Franco-Ottoman alliance and Persian embassy to Louis XIV in 1715. Music, paintings, architecture, and artifacts were frequently inspired by the Turkish and Ottoman styles and methods. Paintings in particular portrayed the Ottomans with bright colours and sharp contrasts, suggesting their interesting peculiarity and exotic nature.
[2] Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour (29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), was a member of the French court, and was the official maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV from 1745 to 1750.
[3] Carle or Charles-André van Loo (15 February 1705 – 15 July 1765) was a French subject painter, and a younger brother of Jean-Baptiste van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo. He was the most famous member of a successful dynasty of painters of Dutch origin. His oeuvre includes every category: religion, history, mythology, portraiture, allegory, and genre scenes.In 1737 Carle Van Loo was named Professor at the Academy along with François Boucher and Natoire.