baroque rococo neoclassic architecture and interior design college notes

1. HID 2 – FINALS STUDY GUIDE
BAROQUE-ROCOCO-NEOCLASSIC
BAROQUE
Historical Setting: 1600-1715
1. Baroque
 Originally a derogatory term, later became an accepted term in the
19th century
2. BARRACO
 Portuguese
 An irregularly shaped pearl
 Baroque pearls = imperfect
3. Outgrowth of concerns in corruption in the:
 Church
 Selling of indulgences
 Involvement of the Pope in politics
4. Council of Trent
 Convened to address Protestant actions
 Arts can be used to inspire and serve to construct Catholic
doctrine
5. Baroque art emphasizes on:
 Drama
 Movement
 High contrast
 Use of vigorous diagonals and curves
 Jacopo Tinoretto, Last Supper, 1594
6. In France:
 Art was under the patronage of the French King at the Louvre
7. Art contributed:
 To the stature of the state
 Glorified the crown
8. Prominent personalities include:
 Louis XIV
 Anne of Austria (mother)
 Cardinal Richelieu
Baroque Church
 Characteristics: ex-Church of Gesu. Rome)
 Very graceful
 Very detailed
 Overly ornamental
Features of Baroque Art
1. Characteristics:
 Exaggerated poses
 Strong diagonals
 High drama
Characteristics of Baroque Architecture
1. More open plan, wings attached to the primary section,modified H-form
with a deep forecourt
2. Axial plan
3. Use of ovals to achieve a sense of movement
Palazzo Barberini:
 With oval, helicoidal staircase
Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte Interiors:
 Wall design used the orders in true classical proportion
Palais de Versaille:
 There are stools lining the balusters that surrounds the bed
 The Hall of Mirrors

2. Louis Le Vau:
 First architect of Versailles
Chateau de Maisons-Laffiette:
 French Baroque
Transition from FRENCH RENAISSANCE to FRENCH BAROQUE
Interiors and Decorations
1. Interiors and Decorations: MATERIALS, TECHNIQUES, AND
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS
 Fresco Painting
 Frescoes extended architecture into imaginary space using
Tromp L’oeil
 A painting or design intended to create the
illusion of a three-dimensional object
 Interiors:
 Tended towards monumentality as setting for social
events
 For the elite:
 Intimate spaces were not very important
2. FLOORS
 Materials:
 Tile
 Ceramic
 Porcelain
 Marble
 Italian
 Egyptian
 European
 Stone
 Natural
 Brick
 Travertine
 Brick
 Terracotta
 Wood parquet
 Terrazzo
 Tiles formed by pattern
 Flushed
 Chips of marble, granite, glass, and similar
materials set on a cement base and polished to a
smooth surface
 Doesn’t have gaps compared to mosaics
 Second floor
 Usually in wood
3. WALLS
 Stucco and paint became more common than paneling
 Niches:
 Capped with shells
 Tops with busts
 Full-length figures
 Textiles on walls
 Velvet
 Damask (embroidery)
 Tapestries (heavy textile with figures/stories)
 Occasionally walls of:
 Marble
 Usually wood with stimulated marble for elegance like
ballrooms
 Boiserie
 Ornately carved wood paneling, painted or gilded
 Onyx
 Translucent
 Expensive, used as cladding
4. CHIMEY PIECES
 Utilitarian, functional
 Smaller than Medieval and Renaissance chimneys

3. Baroque Furniture
1. Characteristics:
1. Smaller in scale than renaissance furniture but more flamboyant
2. Carving was the preferred mode of decoration
3. Walnut was the preferred wood
4. Lacquering was the common finish to protect the wood
2. Pietra Dura:
1. An inlay technique using cut polished stones to create pictures and
images
2. Usually on furnitures/tabletops
3. Flushed: flat
BAROQUE CHAIRS
1. More comfortable, less stiff looking because of curved lines and softer
silhouette
2. Usually rectilinear, high and low backs
3. Stretchers on 2 levels, turned legs, cabriole legs came later
4. Lacquering was the common finish to protect the wood
Italian and French Baroque: influenced by Louis 14th it was for him that Paris
became the center
Fauteuils: armchair’s arms are parallel to the floor, open sides
BAROQUE TABLES
1. Pietra dura tabletops
2. Stretcher shapes
 Perimeter
 H-shape
 X-shape
 Square
 Rectangle
 Turned section
3. Stretchers on 2 levels, turned legs, cabriole legs came later
4. Lacquering was the common finish to protect the wood
BUREAU PLAT
1. Writing table
2. Large executive writing desk with no storage
3. With cabriolet legs
CONSOLE TABLES
 Veneer top with marquetry (shells)
BOULLE WORK
1. Named after Andre-Charles Boulle
2. A more intricate form of marquetry using:
 Metal
 Leather
 Mother of pearl
Gilded: metallic finish; covered thinly with gold leaf
Commode: smaller chest of drawers
Armoire a deux corps: unisex armoire

4. Broken Pediment
Baroque Ornamentation (Louis XV Baroque)
1. Heavy
2. Masculine
3. Pompous
4. Rich
5. Symmetrical form chairs with stretchers
6. Great volume
7. Opulence
ROCOCO
Historical Setting
1. Developed in France, then spread to the rest of Europe
2. Combination of 2 French words:
a. Rocaille – rock
b. Coqueilles – shell
3. Started as a reaction against:
a. Symmetry
b. Grandeur
c. Seriousness
d. Pompousness
4. Rococo preferred:
a. Happy themes
b. Florid and graceful designs
The Three Periods during the Rococo Era
1. The Régence Period
2. The Louis XV (A.K.A. Louis Quince) Period
3. Louis XV to Louis XVI transition period
Political Situation
1. Rococo is essentially the style of the French Royal Court, emulated by the
aristocracy and the Nouveaux riches
2. French Elite
 Fascinated by the lives of commoners and foreign countries
 Their fascination manifested in:
 Novelty
 Not genuine understanding (of the culture and way of life)
3. Francois Boucher
 French painter in the Rococo style
4. Chinosierie
 French word that means:
 Chinaesque or China-like
 The use of Chinese influence in creating objects that try to imitate
Chinese ceramics and lacquer ware
5. Madame Pompadour
 A member of the French court
 Was the official chief mistress of Louis XV
 From 1745-1751
Baroque VS Rococo
BAROQUE ROCOCO
1. Style Formal, imposing and
flamboyant
Relaxation, comfort
and pleasure
2. Room Size Large, impressive
spaces
Smaller, more
intimate spaces
Spatial Relationship (Rococo)
 Smaller in scale, more suited to:
1. Intimacy
2. Comfort
 Theories affecting Rococo architecture
1. Convenance
 All parts must relate to the plan
 Rooms, size, ornaments must be in argreement
 Public and private spaces must be separate but flow from
one into another
2. Bienseance
 Form of a structure must relate to the intended function of
the space
3. Commodite
 Space must be fully utilized
Of the Baroque Era

5. Vitruvian Trinity
 Firmitas - solidity
 Utilitas - utility
 Venustas – beauty
Interiors and Decorations
1. WALLS
 Boiserie continued to become even more popular in the Rococo era
 Strong vertical elements in design on walls
 Arabesque: prominent on the walls, usually painted and
gilded
 Singerie
 Engraving design composed of monkeys in whimsical
playful action, very fashionable during the rococo period
 Trumaux:
 Case panel on top of door, head of
the door
 Overmantle/overdoor element
 Figured heavily in the wall
composition
2. WINDOWS, CHIMNEYS AND DOORS
 Arches
 Round
 Oval
 Recessed arches
 Usually set in deep:
 Recesses
 Niches
 Casement windows extended up to the floors
 Hotel de Varngeville
 Smaller chimneys
 Due to smaller rooms
 Still a focal point
3. CEILINGS
 Relatively flat and plain compared to
previous styles
 Center stucco ornament such as rosettes
were sometimes used
 Salon de L’oeil de Boeuf at Versailles with
diaper work
 Divisions between walls and ceilings:
 Sometimes blurred
 Molding climbing up to the ceiling
 Some mirrors on ceiling
 Material used: white plaster
 Diaper work
 Square, usually in the middle
 Decorating a surface with
repeating a geometric or
floral pattern
4. FURNITURE
 Smaller in scale (furniture parts), makes it easier to move
 New emphasis on:
 Comfort
 Pleasure of conversations
 Lightly:
 Scaled
 Graceful
 Informal
 Multi-functional
 Materials and construction:
 Wood, lacquer, tortoiseshells and bronze
 Wood-carved, lacquered, veneered, decorated with marquetry
 Use of cheaper wood for:
 Furniture
 Carcasses
 Rarer woods for veneering
 Bronze mounts became more important:
 To protect corners
 Use as décor
 Bronze handles, escutcheons, center of panels, terminal s of
legs, pendants
 Imitation of Chinese and Japanese lacquer

6.  Difference between Baroque furniture and Rococo furniture:
BAROQUE ROCOCO
 Large  Lighter, smaller
 Very ornate  Conducive for conversations
 Carved foot  Cabriolet leg with scroll foot
+ medallion back chair with
scroll foot
5. SEATING FURNITURE
 Characteristics:
 Lighter
 Easier to carry
 Delicate
 Livelier contours
 Shallower ornaments
 More pronounced curves
 Backs are generally lower than Louis XIV, lower rails are separated
from the seat
 Fully upholstered, exposed frame
 Curved arm elements
 Arm to support set back on seat rail by about a 1/4th legth
 Machettes
 Padded arm rest were attached to chair
 Cabriole Legs
 Pronounce in designs
 Fauteuils and bergere (enclosed arms and moveable seats)
 Fauteuils with machettes
 Bergere
 Seat is detachable
 Arms are enclosed
 Moveable cushion
 Marquise
 Wide and deep seat
 Accommodate large skirts
 Canapé
 Setté with closed and open arms
 Duchesse brisee
 Two piece lounging unit for
one person
 A bergere and long foot rest
 Similar to a day bed
6. TABLES
 Console tables retained the heaviness of baroque furniture
 Bureau plat
 Writing des with tolled
leather surface
 Only has a document drawer
 Many tables with multiple purposes
 Jean Francois Oeben desk at
Metropolitan Museumof Art

7.  Mechanical bureau plat
 Rococo console table
 Very ornate like baroque style
 Usually has shell motifs
7. STORAGE FURNITURE
 Gave the impression of heaviness
 Regency commode
 Chest of drawers
 Often three drawers on short legs
 Bombe style commode
 Concave upper, convex middle, concave lower parts
 Ormolu mounts on:
 Legs
 Drawer front
 Edges
 Feet, etc.
 Marble tops
 Polychrome lacquer in the oriental manner was popular
 Marquetry and bronze applications
 Parts of the commode/console table/chest of drawers:
 Marble top
 Chinoiserie decoration
 Wood veneer
 Cabriole legs
 Ormolu decoration emphasized curves and hides
construction
8. BEDS
 Lit d’ange
 No posts
 With headboard and lower footboard
 Tester is long and oblong
 Extended only to a portion of the
length of the bed
 Tester just covers the bed
 Lit-a-duchesse
 Similar to lit d’ange
 Tester covered the entire length of the bed
 Lit a la polonaise
 equal height footboard and
headboards
 iron rods carved inward and upward
on each corner of the bed
 where fabric falls from the center
 Lit a turque
 Like a sofa
 With larger dimensions
 Arched back
 Paced parallel to the wall
 Canopy was from the wall
 Sofa but a bed (daybed) Ex: Louis XV bedroom at Vaux
le-Vicomte
NEOCLASSIC
Historical setting
 The French crown and fovernment was experiencing difficulties
 Political
 Economic
 Social
 The rococo was seen as too frivoulous and disorderly
 The neoclassic style focused on the styles of:
 Ancient Greece
 Rome
 Why Ancient Greece and Rome?
 Rediscovery of the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
 Learnings from the Grand Tour by European noblemen
 New interest in the works of Andrea Palladio, the Renaissance
architect
 John Joachim Winckleman
 German, considered as the father of archeology
 Wrote The History of Ancient Art, a very influential book
 Presented an idealized view of Anciet Greece art and architecture
 The Belvedere Apollo
 Considered by Winckleman as the best example of Anciet
Greek art
 120-140 AD
 Influential architect
 Jacques Francois Blondel
 1705-1774

8.  A great admirerer ofFrancois Mansart,the French baroque
architect
 A teacher who advocated designs fromthe past
 Emphasizes bienseance
 Idea that architecture must showthe statues of its
owner
Early Neoclassic Interiors
1. Hotel de Cabris – Grasse, France
 Motifs were inspired with:
 Natural flowers
 Classical leaves
 Scrolls (details of boiserie)
 Other ornamental motifs were:
 Garlands
 Festoons
 Wreathes of flowers
2. Petit Trianon
 Inside the Palais Versailles
 Used as the get-away by Marie Antoinette
 The Grand Staircase
 Lozenges: floor pattern
 The Queen’s Bedchamber
 Small bed but tall in height
3. Emphasis:
4. Parquet floors were popular as well as Oriental or French rugs
5. Use of classical architectural features and ornaments
6. Usually associated with Louis XVI
Interiors and Decorations
1. WALLS
 Boudoir of Madame de Serilly – Hotel de Soubise
 Low dado rail
 A vertical emphasis on the upper field
 A cornice or entablature on the transition to the ceiling
2. FLOORS
 Parquet floors
 Marble
 Rugs
Early Neoclassic Furniture
1. Construction of furniture:
 Oval backs
 Fluted legs
 Squared-backed
 Medallion backs on chairs
2. General Characteristics:
 Menuisier  joiner/chair maker
 Ebeniste  cabinet maker
 Furniture used elements from architecture:
 Fluted columns
 Caryatids, grotesque and similar mythological creatures
 Use of porcelain plaques as ornaments
 Metals that were widely used were:
 More rectilinear designs
3. FURNITURE
 CHAIRS (Louis XIV style chair)
 Low relief carving (shallow carving)
 Backs are not usually attached to seat rail
 Front seat rail is usually:
 Bowed
 Ending in flat, framed rosettes
 Seat and back shapes:
 Square
 Medallion/circle
 Trapeszoid
 Rectangle
 Some with carved cresting
 Arms extended to 2/3rd of the length of the seat
 Legs are:
 Round
 Square
 Tapered
 Fluted
Steel Bronze Brass
Wrought
iron
Formality Symmetry
Subtlety Restraint

9.  Louis XIV canope
 TABLES
 Legs are:
 Squared
 Rounded
 Tapered
 Sometimes with caryatids of grotesques
 Mechanical bureau c. 1880
 Furniture  gilded ornaments and intarsia table tops
 Tricoteuse
 Work table
 Geometric parquetry table top
 Bonheur de jour
 A lady’s writing table with enclosed shelves at the back
 Note the porcelain plaques
 Secretaire a abattant
 A fall-front desk
 Note the jasperware plaques made by Josiah Wedgewood
 Josiah Wedgewood
 English potter and inventor
 Est. the Wedgewood company
 Also the grandfather of Charles Darwin
 Louis XVI style Demilune commode
 Semi-circular commode
 Note the guilloche pattern below the table top
LATE NEOCLASSIC
Late Neoclassic Historical Setting
1. Political, social and economic instability led to the French Revolution, 1789
2. The French crown was going bankrupt
3. Commoners were asking for reforms, but the government was resistant to
change
4. Louix XVI, Marie Antoinette and other French nobles were convicted of
treason and guillotined in 1793
 Result of the FR
Directoire Style
1. Transition style from ENC to Empire Style
2. FURNITURE DIRECTOIRE
 Late 19th Century  Directoire style bergere
 Less use of time consuming techniques such as:
 Veneering
 Marquetry
 Bronze mounts
 Backs are fully upholstered, some with cresting
 Arm supports were usually with exposed rails
 Gondola-style chair started becoming popular
 Directoire console table
 Grotesque supports terminating in paw feet
 Furniture tended to use classical motifs more accurately
 Furniture supports used forms like:
 Sphinx
 Swans
 Griffins
 Curule forms (X-shape)
 Furniture terminals/ends usually of animal heads like:
 Lion
 Ram
 Eagle
Late Neoclassic Empire Style
1. Derived from Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign as emperor in the FR
2. General Characteristics:
 Stiff, rigid, heavy looking
 Grandiose and exuded power
 Tended towards formality and severity
 Frequently used Roman motifs
 Jean Auguste-Dominque Ingres
 Napoleon on His Imperial Throne 1806

10. 3. Art and design were used as propaganda to extend power and authority
 Jacques-Louis David
 Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1805
 Paul Delaroce
 Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1848
4. Motifs used in the Empire Style:
 Fasces
 Bundle of rods enclosing an ax (strength in
unity)
 Phrygian bonnet
 Signified freedom and the pursuit of liberty
 The Letter “N”
 Swans
 Symbol of the Empress
Josephine
 Also for purity and the god of
Zeus
 Chateu de Malmaison (Empress
Josephine’s room
5. Furniture:
 CHAIRS
 Heavy, large, severe and grand
 Arms were often continued from legs with mythological
figures, human forms or architectural feats:
1. Dolphins
2. Eagles
3. Lions
4. Sphinx
5. Winged horses
 Gondola chairs continued to become popular
 Chair backs:
 Back splat is:
1. Slight curved back
2. Enclosing or hugging the user
 Front animal legs usually terminating in paw foot
 Backs in saber shape
 Empire style athenienne
1. Table or basin on three legs
 King Farouk I of Egypt
1. Empire style bedroomset
2. Pier glass
3. Gilded gold
Round Lyre Lattice