Portrait of Madame du Barry, after Drouais

Art Historical Context

This elegant etching and engraving captures the alluring likeness of Madame du Barry, celebrated mistress of King Louis XV of France, reproduced after a painting by François Hubert Drou, a leading portraitist of the Rococo era. Created between 1760 and 1790 by Jacques Firminvarlet, this second impression exemplifies the exquisite reproductive printmaking techniques of 18th-century France. Etching allowed for fluid, expressive lines mimicking Drouais's painterly brushwork, while engraving added precise detailing to fabrics, jewelry, and the sitter's poised expression—hallmarks of aristocratic portraiture that flattered the elite. Madame du Barry embodied the opulence and intrigue of the Ancien Régime, rising from humble origins to Versailles' heights before her tragic execution during the French Revolution in 1793. Prints like this one democratized access to such royal imagery, circulating her beauty far beyond court circles and fueling public fascination. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work ( gifted by Susan Dwight Bliss in 1967) highlights how prints preserved and popularized high-society portraits, bridging art and social history in a time of lavish excess.