Rococo architecture
   From top to bottom: Sanssouci Palace in Germany, Catherine Palace in Russia, and Hermitage Retreat Building in Catherine Park in Russia | |
| Years active | 18th century |
|---|---|
| Location | Europe |
Rococo architecture, prevalent during the reign of Louis XV in France from 1715 to 1774, was characterized by the use of rocaille motifs such as shells, curves, mascarons, arabesques, and other classical elements. This period marked an abandonment of the symmetry of earlier Baroque styles in architectural design like facades, cornices, and pediments, opting instead for a more flexible and visually engaging style that maintained a level of classical regularity.[1] Light pastel colors, including shades of blue, green, and pink, replaced the darker elements characteristic of Baroque architecture, such as exposed limestone and extensive gilding.[2]
The iconography of Rococo architecture, predominantly associated with 18-century Europe, had a considerable influence on various architectural styles globally over subsequent centuries. These styles include Dutch Colonial, French Colonial, Neoclassical, Greek Revival, Belle Epoque, Second Empire, Victorian, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau, reflecting Rococo's enduring impact on architectural design trends.[3]
Some of the largest and renowned examples of Rococo architecture include royal palaces and other grand residences, such as Nymphenburg Palace and Sanssouci Palace in Germany, along with Runsa and Salsta Palaces in Stockholm, Sweden. In Russia, notable examples include Alexander Palace, Catherine Palace, and the Winter Palace.[4] Many of these architectural masterpieces have been preserved and now serve as historic house museums.[5]
Exterior design and Andrea Paladio's Quattro Libri
Eighteenth-century architecture was profoundly influenced by classical ideals of symmetrical design, prominently featuring elements such as columns, capitals, pediments, architraves, statuary, and other exterior ornamentation. The principles outlined in Andrea Palladio's Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (Four Books on Architecture), published in Italy in 1570, remained influential throughout the latter half of the millennium. These principles served as a foundation for various architectural styles, including Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and Greek Revival architecture. They provided a template for room arrangement and the basic design of exterior elevations.[6]
During the Rococo period, architects adapted these classical templates to include asymmetrical forms, whimsical curves, and bright colors, creating more dynamic and engaging designs. While some architectural historians may consider the Rococo period as a continuation of the late Baroque style, it is predominantly recognized as a distinct architectural design.[7]
By the late 18-century, the Rococo style was increasingly viewed as an elaborate and grandiose manifestation, characterized by extravagant cartouches, flamboyant curves, and excessive gilding. As a reaction, the Neoclassical style emerged, aiming to return to the simpler, allegorical forms and motifs reminiscent of Ancient Greece and Rome.[8] These architectural styles consistently incorporated allegorical motifs, such as acanthus leaves, cupids, putti, and figures of Greek and Roman deities, to convey an image of sophistication and moral stability.[9] Central to many Rococo architectural friezes was the mascaron, an allegorical face that served either as a welcoming symbol or a deterrent, depending on its expression.[10]
Interior elements and classical allegorical motifs
The interiors of Rococo buildings were intended to project an atmosphere of both intricate detail and comfort for occupants and visitors. Notable examples include the Hôtel de Soubise in France and the Catherine Palace in Russia, where the extensive use of mirrors and large windows, surrounded by gilt frames with arabesques, created spacious, bright interiors in areas such as ballrooms, antechambers, and state dining rooms. These settings were enhanced by plasterwork, water gilding, marquetry and parquet flooring, along with painted and gilded plafond ceilings. Together with decorative arts, furniture, and other interior elements, these features contributed to the overarching theme of opulent interior ornamentation.
.jpg)
Arabesques, often used on either framed or recessed wall panels, or applied directly onto flat walls using trompe-l'œil techniques to create the illusion of three-dimensional borders, were part of the decorative strategy. These panels, like the exterior design, also featured classical allegorical motifs such as acanthus leaves, vases, and mascarons.[11] Additionally, chinoiserie iconography, reflecting European interpretations of Chinese and East Asian art, was prevalent.[12] The motifs could be painted, plastered, or inlaid using materials like marquetry woodwork or lacquered jade. In the Catherine Palace, uniquely, these designs were even incorporated into multicolored amber panels.[13]
Furniture and decorative arts from the Rococo period were designed to be both functional and comfortable. Contrasting with the large, dark, gold-framed wooden chairs of the earlier Baroque period, Rococo furniture typically featured upholstery with bright cushions and was built for moderately heavy use. Decorative elements such as soft-paste porcelain plaques were often inlaid into furniture pieces like wardrobes, commodes, console tables, secretaires, and writing tables. Complementary decorative objects, including pendulum clocks and vases, completed the embellishment of Rococo interiors.[14]
Flooring
During the Rococo period, wooden flooring often featured parquetry, a design technique involving the inlay of wood panels stained in various colors. These panels were arranged into symmetrical and visually captivating patterns.
Plafonds
In large Rococo buildings, ceilings, often referred to as plafonds, were painted and gilded with scenes depicting ancient Greek and Roman myths, along with other classical and allegorical motifs. These decorations served dual purposes: they were visually stunning elements of interior design and also acted as representations of social values.[15]
.jpg)
Interior layout
The interior layout of Rococo palaces often incorporated a multi-level design, typically featuring two, three, or four floors, each consisting of two rooms across its width. Rather than employing hallways or corridors for room access, these palaces were designed around one or more grand staircases, in addition to service stairwells and lifts, which led to a central point on the upper floors. From this central location, occupants and visitors would move through a series of rooms, such as libraries, antechambers, chambers, boudoirs, and dressing rooms. This progression from public to more private spaces facilitated both social interaction and the hierarchical use of space, while also maximizing the net usable area of the building by reducing the square footage dedicated to corridors and passageways.
When hallways were used, they were typically used only by servants and workers, often passing behind fireplaces and through service entrances. Higher-status individuals and guests would travel through the suite of connected rooms to reach their destinations. On the ground level, functional spaces such as butlers' pantries, guardrooms, ancillary offices, porcelain and silver cabinet rooms, and warming kitchens were positioned with easy access to outdoor outbuildings and service entries. Ceremonial and significant spaces like ballrooms, chapels, reception rooms, principal offices, and state dining rooms were placed closer to the center of the palace, ensuring proximity to the grand staircase and accessibility to other important rooms.[16]
Food service
In the eighteenth century, kitchens in large houses and palaces were typically constructed as separate buildings from the main structure. This separation was strategic, primarily to mitigate the heat and odors from cooking permeating the main living areas, and to decrease the risk of fire spreading to the palace if an incident occurred in the kitchen.
Once food was prepared in these external kitchens, it was transported to a warming kitchen located typically on the ground floor of the main building. In the warming kitchen, dishes were plated and prepared using utensils and tableware stored in nearby porcelain cabinets or butler's pantries. To ensure the food remained hot and ready for serving, it was then conveyed from the warming kitchen to the dining room. This transportation could be facilitated through specialized hallways, stairwells, or even a dumbwaiter.
The dumbwaiter varied in design, ranging from simple dumbwaiters to more sophisticated mechanical or steam-powered cargo elevators. Some systems, known as "thieves," were even more intricate, involving individual elevators at each place setting of the dining table. These systems allowed dishes to be raised and lowered directly between the warming kitchen and the dining room, potentially eliminating the need for servants to enter the dining area. This feature was particularly advantageous during meals where privacy was required, such as discussions involving confidential or classified information.
Retreat buildings
Some Rococo palace complexes could contain retreat buildings, which were separate living and dining areas from the main palace that could offer greater intimacy from the large circulation of family and government officials, servants, and guests in the main palace. These buildings were sometimes referred to as hermitages, and were often two levels tall with a few rooms on each level.
Carriage houses
Rococo palace complexes often contained carriage houses for the storage and maintenance of horse powered wagons and equipment, which were often adjoined to stables and grazing areas for the horses that powered them.[17] In the English speaking world, this complex for equine housing and care was often known as a mews building, and many historic British mansions contained a separate mews building for the care of horses and horse powered equipment. [18]
Service outbuildings and dependencies
In addition to the cooking kitchen and the carriage house, Rococo palaces often contained numerous other outbuildings and dependencies, such as the scullery, where vegetables were prepped and the dishes were washed, and the smokehouse, where meats were stored over hot coals in order to extend the usefulness and freshness of the smoked meats. The servant's quarters could occupy a separate outbuilding from the main palace, or could be located in an area of the main palace accessible only by a separate circulation system of corridors and stairwells from that used by occupants and visitors of higher social status in the central block of the building.
Landscaping
A Rococo palace or grand house could contain several formal and informal gardens, including parterres, vegetable gardens, hedge mazes, fountains, and reflecting ponds.[19] Parterres, which were formal gardens closely mowed with scythes, mowers, and other implements to a height of no more than about half a meter, were considered the most private outdoor areas to discuss any confidential information, as any other palace officials or visitors that would be within a range to hear a conversation would be visible due to the lack of substantial shrubbery. [20] [21] Vegetable gardens could be grown by servants and gardeners to produce foods that supplemented those purchased from external sources. Hedge mazes could be grown with both an entrance and an exit, with the object of the maze being for the participant to navigate their way through the passages, or with only one entrance that also doubled as the exit, with the object of the maze being for the participant to locate a central cul-de-sac. [22] This was a small clearing near the center of the maze which could include small statues or fountains, and was considered an appropriate location for couples on a date to make out.[23] One of the most common forms of pottery in Rococo gardens was the campana vase, a large stone vase with a narrow base and a large, wide, cylinder shaped body which was based on ancient Roman vases and jugs used in wine production. [24]
References
- ^ "The Rococo style – an introduction · V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum.
- ^ "The Rise of Pastel in the Eighteenth Century". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- ^ "The Exuberant and Ornate Style of Rococo: An Exploration of 18th-Century Art and Design". www.madridacademyofart.com. December 22, 2021.
- ^ Pinna, Geovanni (2001). “Introduction to Historic House Museums” Museum International.
- ^ Chateau de Versailles (2023). “Preventative Conservation in Historic Houses and Palace Museums: Assessment Methodologies and Applications”
- ^ "Andrea Palladio | I quattro libri dell'architettura di Andrea Palladio . . . | Venice: Domenico de'Franceschi, 1570". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- ^ Saisselin, Rémy G. (1960). "The Rococo as a Dream of Happiness". The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 19 (2): 145–152. doi:10.2307/428280. JSTOR 428280 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Neo-classicism and the French Revolution". Oxford Art Online.
- ^ Venable, Bradford (2008). "The "Iconologia:" Helping Art Students Understand Allegory". Art Education. 61 (3): 15–21. JSTOR 27696292 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Grotesque heads or mascarons from Pont-Neuf, small arm, upstream side | Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris". www.carnavalet.paris.fr.
- ^ "Trompe l'oeil".
- ^ "Chinoiserie – an introduction · V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum.
- ^ Art, Authors: Department of Islamic. "Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
- ^ "Rococo Decorative Arts of the Mid-1700s". www.nga.gov.
- ^ "Jeremias Wachsmuth | Design for a Ceiling Decoration, Plate 4 from 'Unterschiedliche neu inventierte Deken oder Plafond'". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- ^ "Inside the Baroque palace · V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum.
- ^ "The Garden and Coach House of 524 Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Hendrik Keun, 1772". Rijksmuseum.
- ^ "History of the Royal Mews". www.rct.uk.
- ^ "Painswick Rococo Garden, Gloucestershire". March 6, 2021.
- ^ "Parterre gardens". English Heritage.
- ^ "Parterre - History of Early American Landscape Design". heald.nga.gov.
- ^ "The Maze | Hampton Court Palace | Historic Royal Palaces".
- ^ Matthews, William Henry (November 19, 1922). Mazes and Labyrinths: A General Account of Their History and Developments. Longmans, Green. ISBN 9781690139263 – via Google Books.
- ^ Chappell, Troy Dawson (2016). “An English Pottery Heritage” Northern Ceramic Society.