Linton and District History SocietyWhere History Comes To Life

Chairman’s Lecture, 18th Octotber 2017The Age of Rococo: its origin, times and demise

On the 18th October, 2017 the Chairman’s Lecture explained the essential difference between Rococo and its predecessor Baroque, including the origin of the Baroque style being all about the reinforcing of Royal and/or Ecclesiastical Authority. He explained the movement we now know as Rococo which seized the imagination of the 18th century, and was both the inspiration and role model of the age.

Baroque, being essentially a counter reformation medium arose from the religious turmoil and civil strife of the 30 years war in the 17th century leading to the establishment of greater central control, especially in France under the Sun King, to be followed by a general feeling of relief after the conclusion of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1649. This general relaxation, which must be viewed in the context of the early 18th century, created a freedom and lucidity of artistic expression and technical expertise which led to a general flourishing of all the arts, not just painting, but architecture, engraving, porcelain, sculpture, textiles and dress.

As in any age, there were anomalies, the palace at Versailles was open to anyone, and thus admission to Balls was free to all, provided you arrived properly dressed by carriage, but the dress regulations controlled who could “dress properly”. It was very much the age of discovery, invention and education coupled with an increasingly prosperous middle class across Western Europe.

The various aspects of rococo were illustrated, including the popularity of engravings mainly purchased by the expanding middle class who could not afford to buy the original painting; and the movement from the second half of the 18th century which ultimately led to the demise of the ancient regime in 1787, and the artistic form of which we now refer to as neoclassical. Saint Peter’s Rome - current day

Old Saint Peter’s Rome

Linton and District History SocietyWhere History Comes To Life

Chairman’s Lecture, 18th Octotber 2017The Age of Rococo: its origin, times and demise

After the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre

Death of King Gustav II of Sweden at the Battle of Lützen, 1632

Linton and District History SocietyWhere History Comes To Life

Chairman’s Lecture, 18th Octotber 2017The Age of Rococo: its origin, times and demise

The Bolt by Jean-Honoré Fragonard