Rococo
By the beginning of the 18th century, furniture designers began to reject the heavy formality of the Baroque style and sought to create a lighter, more feminine look.
Emerging in France, the Rococo style dominated European design for the first half of the 18th century and made a lot of use of curvaceous bombe forms, asymmetrical ornament, and the cabriole leg.
Popular motifs included C- and S- scrolls, naturalistic foliage and rocaille, which often took the form of elaborate gilded mounts.
Louis XV
The French interpretation of the Rococo style was named after the early 18th century monarch, Louis XV.
This style was influenced by a more informal, intimate, and comfortable way of life, with an emphasis on the interior as a harmonious whole.
Colour schemes for fitted and non fitted furniture were either rich and vibrant or pale and gilded, and new forms, such as the duchesse (chaise longue), the bergere (armchair) and delicate bonheurs-du-jour (lady's desk) reflected the increasing influence of women in society.
Gilt-bronze mounts and japanned surfaces imitating Oriental lacquerwork were also popular decorative features.
Queen Anne
A more understated form of Rococo design emerged in Britain, influenced, in part, by prevailing trends in the Low Countries.
Furniture forms during this period (1700-1715) were more restrained than elsewhere in Europe and elegant proportions were considered more important than decoration.
Pieces tended to be made of lightly carved wood - usually walnut - and had very little additional ornamentation. Characteristic features included the cabriole leg, claw-and-ball feet and the vase-shaped back splats on chairs.
The style was adopted with considerable success in the United States from around 1725.
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