The Eighteenth-Century Royal Mistress: Arbiter of Taste with Paola Di Trocchio

The position of the royal mistress was unique to France. Only in France, did the royal mistress become a quasi-institutionalized political position, advisor to the King, and arbiter of taste. In eighteenth-century France, King Louis XV’s royal mistresses Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry contributed to French tastes in diverse ways.  

Paola Di Trocchio is a leading fashion curator, writer, and speaker. In her twenty-year career at the National Gallery of Victoria, she curated and co-curated twenty-two fashion and textiles exhibitions including Edward Steichen and Art Deco Fashion, The Krystyna Campbell-Pretty Fashion Gift, 200 Years of Australian Fashion, Guo Pei among others.  She was co-ordinating co-curator for The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier from the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. She is currently completing her doctoral thesis. 

Your ticket includes tea or Market Lane coffee served before the presentation, and time to browse our exclusive range of books, gifts, and homewares at TJC Emporium.

This event is presented on-site at The Johnston Collection. Please see your ticket for details. NOTE: Tickets for this event do not include access to our exhibition-house, Fairhall. Guided tours of the current exhibition can be booked separately.

This event is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust.

Image: François Boucher, Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, 1756. Alte Pinakothek. Munich, Germany.