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With regard to the works of architecture and sculpture, as the concepts of the Baroque period range from 1600 to 1720, the word “Rococo” was introduced to discuss the years between 1720 and about 1780. The term “Rococo” perhaps comes from the word rocaille (“mussel”), which emerged in French emigrant circles. This was followed by a transitional period from around the end of the 18th century, as a kind of counter-movement towards the greater simplicity of neoclassicism.

Of course this arrangement is not entirely appropriate. since throughout the 17th century there had already been a turn towards classicism, particularly in architecture. The distinctions made are therefore, like the use of the term “Renaissance” for northern European painting of the 15th and of the first half of the 16th century, not always valid and thus do not always apply universally.

Particularly in the Netherlands, painting was the absolute antithesis of what the inventors of the name Baroque understood by it. They considered the works of architecture and sculpture created since the end of the 16th century in Italy and their presence in some countries north of the Alps as a group detached from the High Renaissance. Within works such as these, they found features which indicated a deviation from the rules of the classical age and a pointless, arbitrary exaggeration of the fullness of form.

The term Baroque, invented to characterise this art, at the same time contained an unfavourable criticism of the artistic endeavours throughout the 17th century. Even after the movement, the term Baroque had a negative connotation and was used in the art world to describe all that was despicable and reprehensible. In the 17th century, art lacked deep roots in the broad population. Thus it remained elitist, a courtly art which was accessible only to the nobility and the sophisticated members of society. As a result of the logic of the age, the art at the end of the 18th century collapsed and was swept away by the storms of revolution.

Not until much later, around the end of the 19th century, was the conceptual confusion of the 17th century revisited with a fresh perspective and assessment of the historical developments and a better overview of the socio-political situation. There had already been exaggeration even to the point of tastelessness prior to and during the 17th century, but simply no more so than in earlier periods of world history. Generally speaking, so-called Baroque art was in all spheres merely a reflection of the spirit of the age.

The age of Baroque predominantly coincided with the reign of Louis XIV. Afterwards, in the Regency (Régence) and the first half of the reign of Louis XV (1710–1774), the hitherto strong, powerful forms changed into light, playful and gracefully sinuous lines, bringing to the fore the ornate, mussel-like forms. Asymmetry was raised to the status of law. In interior decoration, all deep shadows and strong colours were avoided; in addition to an abundance of gold, light colours were most popular.

Only the return to the straight and narrow, which was at the same time associated with a stronger inclination towards classical forms and nature, led art into the era that saw the days of Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764) and the reign of Louis XVI (1754–1793): the age of Early Classicism, also known as the Pigtail Style or Rococo.

It has become the absolute norm to label these artistic expressions as purely decorative. The characteristic features of ornamentation were not rediscovered in architecture. Although painting and decorative art are both rooted in cultural history, when examined from an artistic standpoint, they have totally different origins. Architecture in particular developed quite differently in some countries, so that here the term Rococo coincides in terms neither of space nor time or style with the artistic life of the first half of the 18th century.

Taking all this into consideration, there is still a variety of interpretations of the art of the 18th century. The artistic scene expanded; France retained its predominance yet spread in new directions. For the artists of Europe, Italy remained the academic centre in which they completed their foundation and training, while Spain and the Netherlands changed places with England and Germany, who moved slightly forward and attempted to make up for lost ground.

In the sphere of painting, pastels gained ground, proving to be especially effective in capturing the dainty charms of Rococo women. In addition, however, in the representation of works of art, the technique changed. Gradually the use of woodcut disappeared; the copper plate engraving and the etching were thus complemented by the scraped leaves of “Black Art”. This technique, invented as early as 1640 by Ludwig von Siegen, a Hessian officer, was a process by which the light areas could be made from scraping the roughened copper substratum. This technique was then taken up in the 18th century by the English and further developed.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze, The Village Bride, 1761.

Oil on canvas, 92 × 117 cm.

Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Inspiration, c. 1769.

Oil on canvas, 80 × 64 cm.

Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Jean-Siméon Chardin, Child with Top, 1738.

Oil on canvas, 67 × 76 cm.

Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Jean-Marc Nattier, Marie Leszczynska, Queen of France, Reading the Bible, 1748.

Oil on canvas, 104 × 112 cm.

Musée national du château de Versailles, Versailles.

Jean-Siméon Chardin, The Buffet, 1728.

Oil on canvas, 194 × 129 cm.

Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Luis Egidio Meléndez, Still-Life with a Box of Sweets and Bread Twists, 1770.

Oil on canvas, 49.5 × 37 cm.

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.

Graphic art, too, experienced an unexpected upturn; few people were privileged enough to participate in the life of the rich, but many desired to make for themselves a picture of the life of the rich and beautiful, and that was possible above all with copper plate engraving. The trade in engravings took on almost capitalistic features. At first, every engraver was responsible for the sales of their works; however, salesman eventually seized control, with great success. The art dealers would pay the artist pittance and then sell the work for a hefty profit. As legend has it, one of these publishers, Michel Odieuvre (1687–1756), was bent as if crippled with pain when he had to pay an engraver his well-earned money.

Also of major importance, however, was the rise of porcelain, which Dutch merchant ships brought from China in ever greater quantities to sell in the European markets. Because of the high prices, efforts were being made to manufacture porcelain within Europe. Of great renown are the faiences of Delft where, as early as the beginning of the 17th century, several factories were set up that soon moved beyond producing the blue shades to polychrome ornamentation, more closely imitating the Chinese models with decorative flowers and plants.

In Germany, Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682–1719), the hardworking alchemist who desired to produce gold, spearheaded a similar development. Böttger and two colleagues in 1707 were the first to create a hard porcelain pot. With the energetic support of Prince Augustus I the Strong (1670–1753), the Meissen porcelain factory was built up, which from about 1740 enabled Meissen porcelain to reach its greatest heights. The leap from manufacturing pots with artistic embellishment to the creation of figures was driven forward in particular by Johann Joachim Kändler (1706–1775). Delicate shepherdesses, miniature cavaliers and fine petite ladies characterised the Rococo period. In the same manner, iconic interior decoration can now be viewed as a product of the Rococo style.

Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, Portrait of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, 1797.

Oil on canvas, 101.5 × 86.5 cm.

Kiev Museum of Western and Oriental Art, Kiev.

Thomas Gainsborough, Mrs. Siddons, 1785.

Oil on canvas, 126 × 99.5 cm.

The National Gallery, London.

Joshua Reynolds, Lavinia Bingham, 1785–1786.

Oil on canvas, 62 × 75 cm.

Collection of Earl Spencer, Althorp House, Northampton.

Thomas Gainsborough, Mary, Countess Howe, c. 1760.

Oil on canvas, 244 × 152.4 cm.

Kenwood House, London.

Rivalry between the courts produced a whole series of porcelain factories, for instance in Vienna, Berlin and Ludwigsburg, Chelsea in England and Capodimonte near Naples in Italy. In France, Sèvres took on the leading role from 1756. There they adhered to technical principles and produced a more vitreous, more transparent porcelain which contained lead and, because of the gentler firing, allowed a greater range of colours. It was used less for tableware and much more for the manufacturing of luxury vessels. Thus it was due to this trend in Sèvres that the Baroque forms were retained significantly longer in the production centres.

The ways in which porcelain was suited to the forms of Rococo decoration are illustrated by its ability to harmonise with changes in artistic conventions. It was intended for use in the inner rooms of the courts and big houses, and if these were to be decorated in the right fashion, then the architectural ornamentation had to be in tune with it.

In the case of furniture, the powerful forms of the Baroque were now followed by the delicate, undulating lines of Rococo. Wood was frequently given a coat of white paint before being gilded or given an artistic design, and the feet of furniture were finished off with bronze shoes, the slipper-like caster-sockets. The very height of fashion was the so-called Boulle furniture, named after Andre-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), which was distinguished by its inlaid work of wood, metal or tortoise shell. This was also the age of the chaise longue or “long chair” – an invention which allowed ladies with their voluminous crinoline skirts to lower themselves, or when the right chance presented itself, to sink down more easily than onto a seat with arms.

The story of architecture in the 18th century is exciting. Ingenious master builders and architects created great masterpieces of intellect, sensitivity and creativity. In this case, it is more than risky to try to describe in a few pages, in anything like the appropriate detail, almost one hundred years of architectural history. The examples included in this discussion are an aid to understanding and experiencing the fascinating story of the development of Rococo.

George Romney, The Leigh Family, 1768.

Oil on canvas, 185.8 × 202 cm.

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.