Aesthetic Identity: Madame Du Barry's pedestal table and the performance of elite identity
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2025-05-02
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Madame du Barry’s pedestal table marries elements of the neoclassical style with rococo scenes after Watteau and a reproduction of Carle Van Loo’s The Grand Turk Giving a Concert for His Mistress. Although French art historians have commented on the eclectic combination of styles, the prevailing attitude is that the incongruence stems from the decorative nature of the images rather than any intentional purpose. This thesis instead considers the table as an intentionally designed art object at the confluence of concerns unique to eighteenth-century France regarding image-making and social identity. The table exemplifies the meaningful function of decorative objects in the hands of those seeking to lay claim to an elite identity.
Madame du Barry asserted her place in the social order by engaging in the work of sociability— the deft manipulation of images and objects calculated to please fellow elites.
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Art