Silver rococo picture frame.

Size: 9 1/2 x 8 in.

#2314 . 

Rococo (also known as Late Baroque) is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colors, sculpted molding, and frescoes to create surprise and the illusion of motion and drama. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movement. The style began in France in the 1730s as a reaction against the more formal and geometric Louis XIV style, and soon spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Italy, Austria, Germany, and Russia. It also came to influence other arts, including sculpture, furniture, silverware, glassware, painting, music, theater, and literature. Although originally a secular style primarily used for interiors of private residences, it gained a spiritual appreciation which led to its widespread use in church interiors, especially in Central Europe and South America. The actual word rococo was coined as a derisively humorous variation of the word “rocaille” by the neoclassical painter Pierre-Maurice Quays. The first use of the word in print was in 1825, to describe decoration which was “out of style and old-fashioned, belonging to the style of the 18th Century, overloaded with twisting ornaments.” Since the mid-19th Century the term has been accepted by art historians as a distinct period in the development of European art. Rococo tends to differentiate from early Baroque by using similar shapes and lines as Art Nouveau, and the occasional use of East Asian motifs like Japonisme, as well as the inclusion of warmer pastel colors.

Location C1