Madame du Barry as a sphinx, early 19th century

The sphinge is the feminine form of the Sphinx
and has been depicted as far back as Antiquity.

This lion-bodied woman most often appears in statues and sculptures, and more recently in paintings and literature.

She is the synthesis of strength, power and prudence.
She also embodies feminine mystery and seduction.

The earliest known sculptures of sphinxes in France,
date from the late 17th century,
and some of them, in the guise of favorites of King Louis XIV.
The tradition continued with Madame du Barry and Marie-Antoinette.