1730–1770
Rococo
Playful where Baroque was grand
Rococo takes the Baroque's argument and makes it a conversation. Asymmetry replaces the grand axis, pastel replaces gilt, and the ornament stops being architecture and becomes something closer to handwriting.
It is a domestic style, which is why it survives in porcelain, clocks and small furniture rather than in facades. The pleasure is in the detail: a scroll that resolves nowhere in particular, a border that wanders.
What to look for
Asymmetrical ornament, pale grounds, and a lightness that suggests the piece was meant to be moved.
Within this
Each has its own page, with its own searches.
Search the collection
The searches this style is worth looking at. Each opens the collection for it.
- Rococo commode
- Rococo gilded mirror
- Rococo chaise longue
- Rococo Bergère armchair
- Louis XV fauteuil
- Meissen porcelain figure
- Rococo console table
- Venetian Rococo chest
- Chinoiserie Rococo cabinet
- French Rococo commode
- Rococo silver
- Rococo tapestry
- Louis XV commode
- Louis XV armchair
- Louis XV bureau plat
- Louis XV console table
- Bombé commode
- Louis XV marquetry table
- Bergère en cabriolet
- Louis XV desk
- Gilt bronze rococo clock
- Vernis Martin lacquer