The Portrait at the Toilette in French Rococo Art

             A painting set at the toilette in French Rococo art was a style of portraiture reserved for the wealthy. This is because; it was the wealthy who would perform a type of ceremony of the toilette. This ceremony, performed by women, involved sleeping in and leisurely preparing for the day at the toilette, slowly making decisions about hair, makeup, and wardrobe, all while entertaining guests. Since only the wealthy had the time to leisure about in such a manner, the ceremony and even the portrait of woman at her toilette became status symbols for the aristocracy and the wealthy. There were toilette portraits made of mythological or allegorical characters too, and a common custom of the time was for aristocratic women to be portrayed as such characters. However, in the mid 18^th century, these aristocratic women no longer wished to be portrayed as such mythological characters and opted instead for toilette portraits. The toilette portraits were often richly detailed and the scene would be filled to the brim with expensive items, lavish furniture, and grand costumes, all of which stood to signify the wealthy of the subject.  The portrait of a woman at her toilette, being a symbol of wealth, rose quickly in popularity, making it an easily accessible tool by which the merchant class could attempt to climb the social ladder in 18^th century France.

 François Boucher, La Toilette, 1742, Oil on Canvas, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid)

            This painting depicts a woman being attended at her toilette by a companion (it is uncertain whether she is a servant or not), and it is rich in detail, like other toilette portraits, offering many subjects for study. Although Boucher does not identify the subjects, we can assume these anonymous women are however, wealthy, because of the objects included in the painting, including a teakettle, an ornate dressing screen, the portrait behind it, a fur, etc. Boucher is uses the setting of the Toilette painting to give a glimpse of the everyday life of the wealthy. Through this anonymous portrayal the portrait at the toilette becomes accessible to real women and not just mythological characters.

François Boucher, Sketch for a Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, 1750, oil on canvas, Art UK (National Trust, Waddesdon Manor)

 

            In this portrait by Boucher, Madame de Pompadour is depicted in a voluptuous gown. This is a sketch made for a later portrait (Boucher, Marquise de Pompadour, 1750, Oil on Canvas, The Wallace Collection (London)), in which her toilette has been replaced. In this rendering though, Madame de Pompadour is standing beside her toilette, as though she has just finished preparing and is ready for an outing, hat ready in hand. This painting solidifies the exclusivity of the toilette portrait as one for the wealthy, because Madame de Pompadour has been represented in the style.

François Boucher, Madame de Pompadour at her Toilette, 1750, oil on canvas, Harvard Art Museums

            This painting portrays Madame de Pompadour, donning her rouge, sitting at her toilette. This simple but sumptuous portrait delicately asserts her status through its detail, without the unnecessary weight of excessive items and belongings surrounding her. Madame de Pompadour, being the trendsetter of her day, begins a new style of portraiture by being painted at her toilette. This particular example of toilette portraiture definitively states these paintings as status symbols of the wealthy and powerful, as this is the second time she has been portrayed in this style of portrait.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Portrait of Madame Courcelles, 1750, Oil on canvas, Wiki Art (USA Public Domain)

            This portrait of Madame Courcelles, is very similar to Boucher’s Madame de Pompadour at her toilette, both sitting in front of a mirror at the toilette, with their hands drawing attention towards their shoulder and breast. The portrait of Madame Courcelles does not contain as many objects or possessions, but her dress, hairstyle, and rouge are all reminiscent of the toilette portrait of Madame de Pompadour. This toilette portrait of Madame Courcelles by Greuze would have been planned to evoke images of Madame de Pompadour, linking the images of Pompadour and Courcelles, thus asserting the status of Courcelles and of toilette portraiture.

François Boucher, The Modiste, 1746, Oil on canvas, The Wallace Collection (London)

            This painting of a milliner shows a woman sitting at her toilette, holding various pieces of fabric to decide on which to use. This painting depicts various details that denote wealth, although it cannot be confirmed whether the wealthy party is the milliner herself or her patron. The older of the women depicted here has mannerisms that imply the passing on of knowledge (similar to the mannerisms in Nattier’s Madame Marsollier and her Daughter, as if she is teaching the younger woman as she works. This painting, through its common sitter, further makes the toilette painting accessible to the merchant class.

Jean Marc Nattier, Madame Marsollier and her Daughter, 1749, Oil on canvas, 45.172

            This painting features a merchant class woman and her daughter at the toilette. Various objects and items cause one to assume that they are of a higher class, however deceiving, this is very purposeful. Madame Marsollier had hoped that the commissioning of a portrait in this particular style, a style reserved for the wealthy, would allow her to rise to a higher social standing. Although her plan was unsuccessful, this portrait is a masterful rendering of a portrait at the toilette and all that it symbolizes.