The Yew Tree Ball

The Yew Tree Ball (Fr: Le bal des if) was a masked ball held in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on the night of 25–26 February 1745. Fifteen thousand people attended. King Louis XV and several of his gentlemen courtiers appeared dressed as topiary yew trees. The ball is notorious for being the venue in which the king made contact with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson. He had first seen her while hunting at Senart. On 14 September 1745, Poisson was officially presented to the Court as the Marquise de Pompadour. She became the king’s official mistress until her death in 1764.

Gallery

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  Louis XV
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  Pompadour dressed as Diana, 1746
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  Invitation to the ball
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  The Yew Tree Ball, 1745

References

• The Yew Tree Ball, Chateau de Versailles, retrieved 2013-01-18
• The Yew Tree Ball, retrieved 2013-01-18
• The Yew Tree Ball, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, retrieved 2013-01-18