What does Rococo mean in relation to antique furniture?
The word is derived from rocailles, used to designate the artificial grottoes and fantastic arrangements of rocks in the garden of Versailles; the shell was one of the basic forms of Rococo ornament. The style was based on asymmetrical design, light and full of movement.
What is the difference between Rococo art and Baroque?
- was heavy in ornamentation
- had curvaceous cabriole style legs
- had sculptural S- and C-scrolls
- complex cravings of shells and leaves
- had an Asian influence
What does Roccoco mean in relation to antique furniture?
The word Rococo is a combination of the French word rocaille, which some translate as shell but also contains the sense of loose rock. It indicates the curve characteristic of Rococo style. The word also contains the Italian word barocco, which is our Baroque. The Baroque period was known for its intricacy and elaboration.
What are the characteristics associated with the Rococo style?
The following are characteristics that Rococo has, and Baroque does not:
- The partial abandonment of symmetry, everything being composed of graceful lines and curves, similar to Art Nouveau
- The huge quantity of asymmetrical curves and C-shaped volutes
- The wide use of flowers in ornamentation, an example being festoons made of flowers
- Chinese and Japanese motifs (see also: chinoiserie and Japonism)
What is the Rococo fashion?
Rococo fashion was based on extravagance, elegance, refinement and decoration. Women's fashion of the seventeenth-century was contrasted by the fashion of the eighteenth-century, which was ornate and sophisticated, the true style of Rococo.
What influenced Rococo fashion?
During Louis XV's reign, his mistress Madame Pompadour and himself greatly influenced the Rococo movement with their grandeur and sophistication through fashion, interiors and the arts.
When was the Rococo era fashion?
Rococo (ca. 1715 - 1780) Characteristic for the 'Rococo'is the refined, detailed and powdery style of this era. Ideals like elegance and sophistication, but also the enjoyment of privacy and home lift and the enlightenment shaped this epoch.
Who had the greatest influence on Rococo fashion?
King Louis XV and his court were major influences on Rococo. Upon reaching the tender age of five, his great-grandfather King Louis XIV died.
What are the main features of Rococo style?
French Rococo painting in general was characterized by easygoing, lighthearted treatments of mythological and courtship themes, rich and delicate brushwork, a relatively light tonal key, and sensuous colouring. Rococo sculpture was notable for its intimate scale, its naturalism, and its varied surface effects.
What is the difference between Baroque and Rococo fashion?
Though connected through their nautical word origins and general style, their differences are notable and important. Whereas the Baroque style exudes a masculine energy and presence, Rococo art has a more demure, very beautiful, feminine aura.
Is Marie-Antoinette Rococo?
Marie Antoinette sits in a perfect icon of the French Rococo, a “Louis XV” style armchair called a "fauteuil à la reine" in French.
What is the other name for Rococo style?
The building in its present form was completed in the 1760s in a Rococo style, also known as Late Baroque (6).
What is Edwardian fashion?
Fashion of Edwardian Era Women still wore corsets and long skirts. Men still wore suits. A complete wardrobe included hats and gloves and, for women, often an umbrella. Edwardian fashion was opulent and formal, with expensive fabrics and trimmings. They favored a distinguished, mature look.
Why is Rococo important?
Legacy. Along with Impressionism, Rococo is considered one of the most influential French art movements. It is celebrated for both its light-and-airy paintings and its fanciful decorative arts, which, together, showcase the elegant yet ebullient tastes of 18th-century France.
Is Rococo a Victorian?
The major Victorian era revivals are: Gothic (1840-1870), Rococo (1845-1870), Renaissance (1850-1880), Elizabethan (1850-1915), Louis XVI (1850-1914), the antiquity revivals (Neo-Greek and Egyptian, 1860-1890), and Centennial (1885-1915).
What fabrics were used in Rococo fashion?
Fabrics for Rococo fashions included linen, silk, cotton, and wool. There were also varieties of silk, such as taffeta and etles. Damask and brocad...
What are the characteristics of the Rococo period?
The Rococo period was the last major aristocratic movement of France. During this period, the wealthy indulged in partying, pretty things, and plea...
What is the difference between Baroque and Rococo fashion?
Baroque had a seriousness and formality that Rococo lacked. In particular, the negligee, which was originally a private nightgown, became inspirati...
What is Rococo known for?
Rococo is known for its flirtatious nature and the pursuit of pleasure. It was whimsical and fun, making it an abrupt departure from the seriousnes...
What was the Rococo style?
Rococo designs tended to be lavishly ornate, with complex patterns and the finest of materials. Color palettes were light and pastel, designs were whimsical and asymmetrical, and organic motifs covered everything.
What was the first style of Rococo men?
The most notable fashion trend was the habit à la francaise, the French suit , defined by matching coat and waistcoat, ribbons and bows on the shoulders, and short trousers with stockings. This was the first style of Rococo men's fashion, and it changed across the century.
How did the Rococo influence society?
Impact on Society. The aristocrats of the Rococo were wealthy and privileged, but refined and dignified. They proudly sported their finery in public, which created a stark visualization of the division in French society. The peasantry dressed in simpler materials and simple versions of the aristocratic fashions.
What were the clothes of the 18th century?
While Baroque clothing had been stiff and formal, Rococo women began adapting looser dresses and skirts. Since so much of aristocratic life now centered on private estates rather than the formal court, women began publicly wearing the sort of clothes that had previously only been worn in private. In particular, the negligee, which at the time was a type of morning robe, began appearing outside the house. Over time, this turned into loose robes worn over dresses or skirts and hanging off the shoulders. Dresses did still utilize corsets, bodices, and hoop skirts to emphasize a certain voluptuous and sensuous quality to the wearer. In the early Rococo, this style was loose and informal, but it became more ornate as finer materials and more decorative designs were employed into the later 18th century.
What was the last aristocratic style in France?
France was divided between the lavishly dressed ruling class and the impoverished peasantry. The Rococo was, therefore, the last truly aristocratic style of France. When it was rejected, the entire aristocracy was rejected with it. 5:54.
Why did the Rococo dress have hoop skirts?
Dresses did still utilize corsets, bodices, and hoop skirts to emphasize a certain voluptuous and sensuous quality to the wearer. In the early Rococo, this style was loose and informal, but it became more ornate as finer materials and more decorative designs were employed into the later 18th century.
What did the royal courts of Europe do to fashion?
For generations, the royal courts of Europe set the standards of fashion. When did this stop, and why? In the Americas, independence movements elevated the common people over the aristocrats, and working class fashions used to celebrate that. In Europe, the slow rise of constitutions that challenged the absolute power of the monarchs resulted in the same trend. In no other place, however, was this shift as dramatic as in France.
Peculiarities
The Rococo style replaced the pretentious baroque and became almost its complete opposite. Tired of brightness and pomp, the French turned to elegance and lightness.
Rococo today
In spite of everything, women always want to look young and beautiful. This desire greatly contributed to the fact that clothing of the 18th century was again in trend.
Modern outfits from the 18th century
Unlike European fashion almost three hundred years ago, modern designers turning to that era do not prefer light pastel shades, but rich dark tones. Brown, gray, blue with silver, gold and even black colors are relevant.
Materials (edit)
In shirt dresses with a high collar, the "trademark" distortion of the proportions of the figure occurs due to the use of skirts on the frame with pockets and voluminous folds. In models with a neckline, the whole image is leveled with fluffy skirts with numerous frills.
Bright accessories
One of the characteristics of the stylish trend is the love of accessories. As such, beads, necklaces, large earrings, all kinds of decorative elements with rhinestones are used.
Make-up and hairstyle
In the makeup that complements the image, as in the past, thick black eyebrows are relevant (in those days, eyebrows were false and were made from special brushes), pale skin color, emphasized by the most natural shades of lipstick. Makeup on the eyes should also be discreet and not bright.
Unforgettable images
The Rococo area is not suitable for going to work. Yes, and older women are better off abandoning such an image.
What is the Rococo style?
Rococo (ca. 1715 - 1780) Characteristic for the 'Rococo'is the refined, detailed and powdery style of this era. Ideals like elegance and sophistication, but also the enjoyment of privacy and home lift and the enlightenment shaped this epoch. France dominated the artistic world with its luxury industries of porcellain, furniture, ...
What was the hairstyle of the Rococo era?
The hair was pomaded, powdered and draped over wire frames, with the augmentation of false hair. Adding to that came everything from false flowers to bows and miniature paintings to pearls and feathers among the court and upper class. In 1774, Marie Antoinette stunned the French court with her "pouf" (='cushion/pillow') hairstyle which is somewhat of an ancestor of the beehive hairstyle of the 20th century.
What is a volante dress?
The Robe Volante or Sacque is a flowing one-piece dress that falls down loosely from the shoulders on front and back. The back is a so called sack-back, with large pleats. These pleats are referred to as Watteau pleats, after Antoine Watteau who in his paintings in the 1720s showed many women wearing this style. The Robe Volante is a manteau that opens in the front. The opening is covered by the stomacher, a piece of usually embroidered or otherwise decorated fabric that is pinned onto the stays to cover up the opening. At the back underneath the pleats is lacing to hold the gown together. The skirts are shaped through paniers, hoop skirts that are tied around the waist and sit on either side of the hips to puff up the skirts. Fabrics in use were linen, silk, taffeta, atlas, damask, brocade, cotton and wool. From the Volante, the Robe à la Francaise developed over time.
How difficult was it to dress in the 18th century?
Although 18th century fashion consists of several layers, getting dressed is neither difficult or very time-consuming. It has to be remembered that for daily private life not all the finery that is commonly associated with the era was actually worn.
What did France do in the Baroque?
The more austere and rigourous style of the Baroque changed into more decorative and refined designs in all arts - architecture, painting, sculpture, and decorative arts like furniture or dress.
When did coiffures become high?
In the late 1760s and 70s the coiffures became increasingly high. The hair was pomaded, powdered and draped over wire frames, with the augmentation of false hair. Adding to that came everything from false flowers to bows and miniature paintings to pearls and feathers among the court and upper class.
What is the Rococo style?
Renowned for the lighthearted nature of its fine and decorative art, the Rococo style flourished in 18th-century France. Artists working in this frivolous aesthetic built upon the flamboyance of the Baroque period, adapting its awe-inspiring aesthetic to produce equally extravagant yet distinctively playful works of art.
Where did the Rococo style originate?
The Rococo style was fashionable from 1730 to 1770. While it started in France, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Bavaria, and Russia. The term Rococo is derived from rocaille, a special method of decorating fountains and grottoes that dates back to the Italian Renaissance.
What is the Rococo movement?
Along with Impressionism, Rococo is considered one of the most influential French art movements. It is celebrated for both its light-and-airy paintings and its fanciful decorative arts, which, together, showcase the elegant yet ebullient tastes of 18th-century France.
What is the whimsical nature of Rococo?
The whimsical nature of rocaille influenced paintings from the period, manifesting as frivolous iconography, an attention to ornate detail, and an abundance of pastel tones.
What is the difference between a Rococo and a Baroque painting?
While Baroque paintings are associated with deep colors and emotive shadows, Rococo works are characterized by an airy pastel palette. Jean-Honoré Fragonard captures the alluring light-heartedness of this color scheme in his most famous painting, The Swing. Set in swirls of light green foliage, The Swing stars a woman dressed in a pale pink dress playing on a swing and flirtatiously flinging off her shoe.
What was the Rococo style based on?
The Rococo fashion was based on extravagance, elegance, refinement and decoration.
What was the Rococo fashion of women in 1750-1775?
Rococo fashion of women in 1750-1775. Culture Fashion History. Audio reading. Fashion in the years 1750–1775 in European countries and the colonial Americas was characterised by greater abundance, elaboration and intricacy in clothing designs, loved by the Rococo artistic trends of the period. The French and English styles ...
What were the pleats on the Rococo dress called?
The Watteau pleats also became more popular, named after the painter Jean-Antoine Watteau, who painted the details of the gowns down to the stiches of lace and other trimmings with immense accuracy. Later, the ‘pannier’ and ‘mantua’ became fashionable around 1718, they were wide hoops under the dress to extend the hips out sideways and they soon became a staple in formal wear. This gave the Rococo period the iconic dress of wide hips combined with the large amount of decoration on the garments. Wide panniers were worn for special occasions, and could reach up to 16 feet (4.8 metres) in diameter, and smaller hoops were worn for the everyday settings. These features originally came from seventeenth-century Spanish fashion, known as ‘guardainfante’, initially designed to hide the pregnant stomach, then reimagined later as the pannier. 1745 became the Golden Age of the Rococo with the introduction of a more exotic, oriental culture in France called ‘a la turque’. This was made popular by Louis XV’s mistress, Madame Pompadour, who commissioned the artist, Charles Andre Van Loo, to paint her as a Turkish sultana. In the 1760s, a style of less formal dresses immerged and one of these was the ‘polonaise’, with inspiration taken from Poland. It was shorter than the French dress, allowing the underskirt and ankles to be seen, which made it easier to move around in. Another dress that came into fashion was the ‘robe a l’anglais’, which included elements inspired by the males’ fashion; a short jacket, broad lapels and long sleeves. It also had a snug bodice, a full skirt without panniers but still a little long in the back to form a small train, and often some type of lace kerchief worn around the neck. Another piece was the ‘redingote’, halfway between the a cape and an overcoat.
What was the style of the robe volante?
A style that appeared in the early eighteenth-century was the ‘robe volante’, a flowing gown, that became popular towards the end of King Louis XIV’s reign. This gown had the features of a bodice with large pleats flowing down the back to the ground over a rounded petticoat.
How big was the pannier in the Rococo period?
Wide panniers were worn for special occasions, and could reach up to 16 feet (4.8 metres) in diameter, and smaller hoops were worn for the everyday settings.
Why were waistcoats worn over gowns?
Woollen or quilted waistcoats were worn over the stays and under the gown for warmth , as were petticoats quilted with wool batting, especially in the cold climates of Northern Europe and America. In the 1770s stays began to be produced so they would end higher on a woman’s body. Phillip Vicker complained: ”For the late importation of Stays which are said to be now most fashionable in London, are produced upwards so high that we can have scarce any view at all of the Ladies Snowy Bosoms…”
What was the largest size of women's clothing in the 1750s?
Women’s clothing styles retained the emphasis on a narrow, inverted conical torso, achieved with boned stays, above full skirts. Hoop skirts continued to be worn, reaching their largest size in the 1750s, and were sometimes replaced by side-hoops, also called ‘false hips’, or panniers.