The Richness of the Rococo
The Rococo art movement emerged in France and spread throughout the world in the late 17th and early 18th century. The word ‘rococo’ is a derivative of the French term rocaille, which means “rock and shell garden ornamentation”; thus shell forms were the period’s principal motif.
The Rococo style is characterised by elaborate ornamentation, asymmetrical values, a pastel colour palette, and curved or serpentine lines. It is also referred to as Late Baroque because it developed as Baroque artists moved away from symmetry to more fluid designs.
The Rococo period began in 1699 after the French King, Louis XIV, demanded more youthful art to be produced under his reign. Throughout the 18th century in France, a new wealthy and
