Rococo
Style
Chronology
The Eighteenth Century
•
•
1709
•
Discovery of the ruins of Herculaneum
1714-1820
•
Georgian period in England
1715
•
Death of Louis XIV, his great-grandson, becomes king
1733
•
John Kay patents the flying shuttle
c. 1720-c. 1770
•
Rococo styles in the arts predominate
c. 1770-mid-1800
•
Neoclassical styles in the arts predominate
1740-1786
•
Frederick the Great rules in Prussia, builds rococo and neoclassical palaces
1745
Madame Pompadour becomes mistress of King Louis XV and influences arts and fashions of the French court
1748
Discovery of the ruins of Pompeii, which along with excavations at Herculaneum, helps to stimulate neoclassical
revival
Chronology
The Eighteenth Century Continued
1756
•
Birth of Mozart
1764
•
James Hargreaves invents spinning jenny
1769
•
Richard Arkwright develops the spinning machine
1774
•
Death of Louis XV
•
Louis XVI, his grandson, becomes king
1776
•
American Revolution
1789
•
French Revolution
1791
•
Death of Mozart
1796
•
James Watt invents the steam engine
1789
•
Convening of the Estates General in France
•
Storming of the Bastille
•
Declaration of the Rights of Man
1792
•
Abolition of the French monarchy
The Eighteenth Century
Selected European Rulers
England
France
Stuarts 1603–1714
Bourbons 1589–1792
Anne 1702–14
Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil 1643–1715
Louis XV, le Bien–Aimé 1715–74
Louis XVI 1774–92
Hanoverians 1714–1901
George I 1714–27
George II 1727–60
George III 1760–1820
Holy Roman Empire
Joseph I 1705–11
Charles VI 1711–40
Maria Theresa 1740–80
Joseph II 1765–90
Leopold II 1790–92
Franz II (Francis II) 1792–1806
Spain
Bourbons 1700–1808
Felipe V (Philip V) 1700–1724 (abdicated)
Luis I (Louis I) 1724
Felipe V (Philip V) 1724–46 (reinstated)
Fernando VI (Ferdinand VI) 1746–59
Carlos III (Charles III) 1759–88
Carlos IV (Charles IV) 1788–1808
Prussia
Hohenzollerns 1701–1797
Friedrich I 1701–13
Friedrich Wilhelm I 1713–40
Friedrich II, der Grosse, (the Great) 1740–86
Friedrich Wilhelm II (Frederick William II) 1786–97
Characteristics of the Rococo Style:
The fanciful and often playful furniture and architectural decoration grew out of
the Baroque and became fashionable in France in the 1720s.
In architecture the style is mostly limited to the exterior façade ornamentation.
The term is derived from the combination of Baroque and French Ideals.
Rocaille [roh-kahy ]: a rock/shell ornamentation used in garden architecture.
The French court move from Versailles to Paris
to escape the formality and restrictions that had
dominated Louis XIV's court life.
Salons (gatherings), largely hosted by
educated women of the upper class,
were called salons.
Characteristics of the Rococo include:
• a light, fanciful, feminine approach to decoration
• the preoccupation of society with a romantic view of life, and a tendency
towards eroticism and superficiality
• a reaction to the rigid "grand manner" of court life under Louis XIV
< Louis XV was king of France from 1715 to
1774. He was nicknamed 'the Well-Beloved',
but his failures contributed to the crisis that
brought on the French Revolution.
Louis was born at Versailles and at the age of
five, he succeeded his great grandfather Louis
XIV as king of France.
Rococo
Architecture
Church of Il Gesù (Rome, 1584)
Hospicio de San Fernando (Madrid, 1722)
Shift from the classical to the expressionistic
Ornate, fanciful and often playful artwork and architectural decoration
Round arches, cornices, pilasters - and the classical principle of symmetry
Overlaid with swags, finials, shell and plant forms as to appear to melt
The contrast between the two façades illustrates the shift from the classical to the
expressionistic - between the beginning of the Baroque and the end of the Rococo.
In the period between the death of Louis XIV (1715) and the American Revolution
(1775), a decline in the powers of Church and State was evident all over monarchical
Europe.
The Rococo style can be defined as a dénouement of the Baroque, and is best seen
in the curvilinear, feminine imagery of this interior decoration.
Typical elements in Rococo decoration:
:
• asymmetry
• natural plant forms such as the acanthus (perennial herb) scroll
• the arabesque, S shapes, C shapes, and reverse C shapes
• silver or gold gilt highlights against white or pastel backgrounds
• mirrors to break up the surface and reflect the gilt and the glitter of crystal
chandeliers.
• carved wood panels and inlaid wood designs on furniture (marquetry) and floors
(parquetry)
The Mirror Room – Amalienburg Palace (Munich 1734)
A pavilion for Royal relaxation by François de Cuvilliers who almost single-handedly
responsible for the spread of the Rococo style to Bavaria and then to the rest of
Germany and Austria
Boiserie
[bwah-zuh-ree]:
Interior
Sculptured Wall
Paneling
…
(usually floor to
ceiling)… as a
rule enriched by
carving, gilding,
and painting
(rarely inlayed)
Furniture and
Decoration
French Rococo shows its anti-classical nature in several ways:
• a rejection of the use of the classical Orders in supports and structural
elements,
• an embrace of asymmetry,
• restless and flickering movement.
• the use of asymmetrical scrolls, scallop shells, elongated S and C curves,
After 72 years of the Louis XIV reign, there arose in Paris new types of private
patrons -- nobles created by the sale of offices, nouveau riche tax collectors, and
millionaires and bankers fat on the spoils of financing 25 years of disastrous wars.
They luxuriated in a new artistic freedom, indulged their highly individualistic tastes,
and welcomed fresh ideas in decoration.
Hôtel de Varengeville (Paris 1735)
Nicolas Pineau
Carver and Ornamental Designer
French Rococo painting in general was characterized by easygoing, light-hearted
treatments of mythological and courtship themes, rich and delicate brushwork, a
relatively light tonal key, and sensuous coloring.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard “The Swing” (1767)
This is a scene of wish-fullfilment - a warm dusk in the marble-vaulted summer-house
of an Italian garden. There is music from a rustic band, dancing in fancy-dress,
romance, flirtation and chat. Watteau provides a glimpse of Earthly Paradise for the
urbane. To the eighteenth -century viewer this scene would have appeared far more
informal than it does to us. This scene would have conveyed the idea of liberty.
Antoine Watteau “Les Plaisirs du Bal” (Pleasures of the Ball) (c. 1719)
Louis XIV
Louis XV
Louis XVI
The chair was now designed for the human body, in contrast to the sculptural
approach to furniture in the Classical Baroque.
Cabriole Legs: tapering legs curving outward at the top and inward farther
down so as to end in a round pad, the semblance of an animal's paw)
<German Rococo (1765)
Console Table (usually topped with a mirror)
^French Rococo
Commode (storage cabinet)
Note the Serpentine curves which illustrate decoration as organic growth
^Rococo
Furniture replicating behavior patterns
• Tête-a-tête (or confidante): seating two people
• Canapé a confidante (closed at both ends with
a corner seat. )
• Four-seater
The Tapestry Room (London 1776)
In the last third of the 18th Century, a new wave of neo-classicism modified some of
the extremes of the Rococo. Designers turned towards a more masculine, heavier
approach, with more symmetry in ornament and form.
The style has been referred to as Louis XVI, after that doomed monarch whose own
personal restraint had little effect on the events to come.
The Georgian Era - England: King George I
The Baroque was condemned as being over-emotional
and undisciplined
The domestic interior
became a place of calm
and cool primness.
Cabriole legs
Thomas Chippendale… open and less upholstered, with
natural wood finishes instead of gilt.
Rococo Dress
The delicate frothiness of the Rococo was reflected in clothing styles. From the
1720s until the Revolution, French taste dominated Europe.
The Rococo style spread to England, Spain, central Europe, and even into Russia.
This period of aristocratic negligence and nostalgia drifted to a final conclusion in
the bloodshed and turmoil of the French Revolution.
During the Revolutionary period, 1787 - 1795, the last vestiges of aristocratic dress
were swept away, along with the individuals who wore them. The painting below
captures the graceful indolence of the lifestyle.
The Declaration of Love
By Jean-Francois De Troy (1731)
Innovation in
Dress
Textile manufacturing, mostly of cotton, advanced rapidly during the century.
Increasing trade with the Orient brought new garment types and textiles.
Imported Oriental silk brocades and Indian chintz, calico and muslin (all cotton of
different weaves and finishes) were copied by European manufacturers.
The 18th century saw the explosion of the slave trade, as American cotton
production grew to satisfy demand.
Dress was divided into three categories corresponding to social demands:
• Undress: lounging clothes
• Dress: daytime outfits
• Full Dress: formal or court appearances.
The Men
The Declaration of Love
By Jean-Francois De Troy (France, 1731)
1715-1790, Men's costume retained the
artificial Elizabethan silhouette - padded
doublet and breeches and the starched ruff for the first two decades of the century.
Shirts features a narrow band of linen tied at
the neck, the cravat.
The waistcoat extended to the knee, and was
of rich brocades: fabric woven with an
elaborate design.
This painting shows the typical silhouette of
the first three decades of the century. Wigs,
much reduced in size from the end of the 17th
century, were tied back into a queue with a
black ribbon, and powdered. Shoes had low
heels and large silver buckles.
The Men
Sir George Lucy
By Pompeo Batoni (England, 1758)
Full dress called for coats and waistcoats in
embroidered satins or velvets paired with plain
breeches.
In the second half of the century, the turnedback cuff disappeared and the front edges of
the coat front no longer met across the chest,
exposing more of the fabric of the waistcoat.
Wigs were more formally dressed, with tight
sausage rolls running in rows around the
head, and a queue tied into a black velvet bag.
The wearing of the wig for men persisted into
the mid-century.
The Men
Embroidered Court Coat
(England, 1770’s)
Court costume maintained its formality and
embellishment until the Revolution.
This detail from a court coat of the 1770s
reflects the interest in surface decoration of the
Rococo style.
(NO LACE – ALL embroidered)
The Men
Portrait Of William Colyear Viscount
Milsington
By Allan Ramsay (England, 1764)
Ditto Suit, was firmly established for dress,
that is, day wear… same as the ensuite (or suit
of clothes) which included coat, waistcoat and
breeches all cut from the same fabric.
Bag-Wig: powdered with the queue (tail) of the
wig enclosed in a black bag.
The Men
Robert Baddeley as Moses in School for
Scandal
By Johann Zoffany (c. 1781)
Black felt cocked hat - which acquired the
term tricorne in the 19th century.
The Women
The Declaration of Love
By Jean-Francois De Troy (France, 1731)
1715-1790, Since the Elizabethan period,
women's dress had involved some form of
corset and skirt support. Several forms of
understructure played an important part in the
female silhouette from 1720 to 1775.
Female costume reflected the casual and
relaxed mood of the beginning of the century.
As the century progressed, costume pieces
proliferated, and a multitude of accessories
were purchased at the whim of the latest fad
Sack (sacque) gown: loosely fitted with pleats
at the back that fell from the shoulder to floor,
was worn over a dome-shaped hoop.
The Women
Madame De Pompadour
By Francois Boucher (France, 1759)
After 1730, the sack (sacque) gown was seen
in a new form, retaining the loose back pleats
and train, but fitted to the torso in the front.
Open Bodice
Stomacher decorated with eschelles: a
graduated row of ribbons/bows
Skirt split in front to reveal petticoat
Neckline low to reveal chemise
Collarette: Ruff or choker-like necklace
Engageants: two or three ruffles that finished
sleeves that ended below the elbow
The Women
Robe a la Française (Watteau Gown )
(France, 1765)
Court dress retained some of its earlier
formality in the richness of the fabrics and
embellishment.
Pannier: basket hoop
Corsets, hoops and pannier structures were
to persist to the last decade of the century.
The Women
Polonaise Dress
(France, 1770’s)
In the 1760s, the overgown was drawn up with
rings and tapes into puffed loops, a sort of
"roman shade", that exposed the petticoat.
Rows of ruffles proliferated on skirt bottoms
and edges. The wig was adopted by women
and dressed in curls to a sometimes fantastic
height.
Women (with the help of some really creative
hair dressers) supplemented their own hair
with pads (rats) and false hair building the hair
up and creating gravity defying up sweeps.
The look was a nostalgic throwback to an idealized concept of the styles of country
folk. It reflected the new spirit of democracy and the ideas of the philosopher Jean
Jacques Rousseau, who advocated a return to the simple life.
The Women
Portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and
Marie-Anne Lavoisier
By Jacques-Louis David (France, 1788)
1780-1800, the new spirit of reform began to
influence every day clothing, and a
transformation occurred in women's dress that
was to completely sweep away the ornamental
fussiness of lace, ruffles and hoops.
Chemise dress: a one-piece, white cotton
muslin gown, was devoid of all decoration, and
resembled nothing so much as a chemise
undergarment.
Another new 'natural' style is the chemise a la reine (Queen's
chemise). This fashion surfaces around 1781, after MarieAntoinette was spotted wearing a gown in the style of her chemise
in her garden. Hedgehog Hair also ‘natural’ and architectural.
The Women
Late Georgian-Women (1760-1795)
Anglomania: France interest in the
English "country" style
Late 18th Century women's clothing is
greatly influenced by the passing of
leisure time "in the country."
Women start to appreciate looks that
are, in their eyes, more "natural." While
clothing styles are "simplifying," hair
styles continue to expand, reaching their
largest altitudes (12-18" tall) during the
1770s.
"Country" influences include:
-Shortened skirts (shy of the ankle)
-Skirts of gowns looped, draped, and pulled to the back
-Narrower panniers and/or sole reliance on the false rump as an understructure.
-Mob cap variations worn as headdress outside the boudoir.
-Wide brimmed, low crowned bergere/shepardess hats.
-More frequent use of bodice & skirt and gown & non-matching petticoat
ensembles (like the girl in brown at the right).
Discussion
Discuss these 2 images in
regard to the ELEMENTS OF
DESIGN
^Salle des Gardes
at Versailles (1670s)
>Hôtel de Soubise
In Paris (1740s)