Madame de Pompadour née Poisson (1721-1764) 1989

In the 1970s, American photographer Cindy Sherman created a series of fabricated ‘film stills’ in which she adopted the trappings of femininity to highlight their role in the construction of ‘persona’. Made against the backdrop of second-wave feminism and other socially progressive theories, the artworks foregrounded the stereotypical nature of traditional portraiture, and eroded the idea of a unique, cohesive identity.

Since then, Sherman has continued to interrogate and parody the genre, producing increasingly complex staged photographs as well as this tureen, made as part of a table service manufactured to her specifications by the historic Limoges factory in France. The dish sees Sherman in the central cartouche assuming the part of the legendary mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, known for her elaborate dress and hairstyles. Replacing the hand-painted image of the doyenne with a screen print of herself in more modest attire, Sherman satirises the conferral of prestige based on appearance.