This study compares and analyses four portraits of Émilie du Châtelet and four of Madame de Pompadour who were two of the most learned and privileged women of their time. The analysis is based on Erwin Panofsky’s iconological method of analysis of art and looks at the impact of gender related conventions that influenced portraiture in the early 18th century. The overall aim of this study is to answer these questions: What differences and/or similarities can be found among their portraits? Why do only relatively few portraits of Émilie du Châtelet exist? What emphasized these two ladies’ status and the unique position as femmes savantes and how did tradition influence their portraits? Education was a male privilege. How was the female equivalent formed? How did their portraits correspond to the male counterpart? Émilie du Châtelet’s portrait of Marianne Loir is the only one that was painted by a female artist. How did that influence the portrait and what distinguishes it from the other portraits? The study shows that the paintings’ compositions follow the convention of the early 18th century portraiture. Both Émilie du Châtelet and Madame de Pompadour are presented according to the rules that applied to their social and cultural status. A number of relevant symbols were added to their figures in order to mark their unique position as learned women.