Rococo architecture, emerging in the 18th century as a reaction against the baroque style, is characterized by elaborate curves, delicate details, and asymmetrical shapes, often utilizing pastel colors and decorative motifs like shells and plants. It was primarily favored by the aristocracy and is most associated with the reigns of French kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. This style led to intricate designs that enhanced architectural spaces, including improvements in sanitation and room organization, and it spread across several European countries, with notable contributions from architects in France, Germany, and Russia.

1. ROCOCO ARCHITECTURE
BY:- DIVYA BALANI

2. Intro to Rococo…
•The word is seen as a
combination of the
French rocaille (stone)
and coquilles (shell), due to
reliance on these objects as
decorative motifs.
•The term may also be a
combination of the Italian word
"barocco" (an irregularly shaped
pearl, possibly the source of the
word "baroque") and the French
"rocaille" (a popular form of
garden or interior ornamentation
using shells and pebbles) . •Rococo styles are found throughout
France, Germany, Austria, Eastern
Europe, and Russia.

3. History…
•an 18th-century artistic movement and style, affecting many aspects of the
arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, interior design, decoration,
literature, music, and theatre.
•It developed in Paris as a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry, and strict
regulations of the Baroque, especially of the Palace of Versailles.
•This style of architecture was popular between 1720-1789, elaborate version
of Baroque, also referred to as Late Baroque. Rococo rooms were decorated as a
total package including furniture, artwork, mirrors and tapestries that enhance the
architecture.
•The style is most associated with the aristocrats of the time. First growing quickly
in France, this style is both graceful and artistically elegant and more concerned
with indulgence and appreciating life. This lighter and graceful style was favored by
Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI. Rococo architecture was completely in harmony with
the lavishness of Louis XV’s rule and is seen as a prelude to the French revolution.

4. Characteristics…
•Elaborate curves and scrolls
•Intricate patterns
•Delicate details
•Complex, asymmetrical shapes
•Light, pastel colors
•Stressed asymmetry
•Had less emphasis on religion
•Was very decorative and used shell &
plants like curves
•Colors were pale and considered more
“classy”
•Included walls that were flat, smooth
and
rectangular in shape
•Walls had carvings and gold gilding over
door frames
•Besides intricate designs & detail, it
also brought many improvements to
architecture; sanitation was improved,
chimneys were made more efficient
and rooms were better organized to
offer more privacy.

5. Architects…
•Since it was seen as a “French Style”, Rococo architecture was never really adopted
in Great Britain.
•Popular architects of the time include:
oFrancesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli who was an Italian born architect that lived most of
his life in Russia with his father, who was also a famous Italian sculptor. Most notable
works are the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and Catherine Palace.
oPhilip de Lange was born in France but was a leading architect in Denmark and the
Netherlands.
oMatthaus Daniel Poppelmann was a German born architect who helped rebuild
Dresden after a massive fire in 1685. His most famous work is Dresden Castle.
oAsam Brothers were sculptors, stuccoists, painters, and architects, who working
together, became one of the most influential ambassadors of the Rococo
style. Probably their most famous work is Church of St. John Nepomuk, also known
as, Asamkirche, which is located in Munich.
oDominikus and Johann Zimmermann are Bavarian architects, painters and
stuccoists whose famous works include the Weiskirche and Steinhausen Church.

6. Architecture…
•St. Johann Nepomuk, better known as the Asam Church is a church in Munich,
southern Germany, built from 1733 to 1746 by the brothers Egid Quirin
Asam and Cosmas Damian Asam as their private church.
•Due to resistance of the citizens, the brothers were forced to make the church
accessible to the public. The church is considered to be one of the most important
buildings of the southern German Late Baroque.

7. Architecture…
•The Baroque façade swings slightly
convex outward.
•It was built in a confined space, the
property is just 22 by 8 m.
•The 2 builders who were able to
unite in the 2-story space
architecture, painting and sculpture
in harmony. Especially the indirect
lighting in the choir area is very well
done: hidden behind the cornice
window the Trinity figures are
illuminated effective from behind.

8. Architecture…
•The interior is divided vertically into 3 sections.
•The lowermost portion of the benches for the church visitors is kept relatively
dark and in the design symbolizes the suffering of the world. The second section,
located above, is kept white and blue, and reserved for the emperor. The
uppermost portion of the indirect and hidden illuminated ceiling painting is
dedicated to God and eternity.
•The ceiling fresco "Life of Saint Nepomuk" is considered one of the masterpieces
by Asam. The high altar of the Church is framed by four spiral columns. These four
columns are used as a reference to the four-Bernini columns over the grave of St.
Peter in St. Peter's in Rome.
•At the top is God, the Saviour. Below the tabernacle, a relic of John of Nepomuk is
kept. Two angels, sculpted by Ignaz Günther, flank the gallery altar and were added
at a later date.

10. The Ceiling

11. Architecture…
•One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace was
conceived as a summer retreat.
•in 1794, it became the official residence of the Portuguese prince, John VI, and
his family and remained so until the Royal Family fled to the Portuguese colony of
Brazil in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal.
•Work on the palace began in 1747 under the architect Mateus Vicente de
Oliveira.
Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the
Portuguese Versailles. From 1826, the palace slowly fell from favour with the
Portuguese sovereigns. In 1908, it became the property of the state.
•One wing of the palace, the Pavilion of Dona Maria, built between 1785 and 1792
by the architect Manuel Caetano de Sousa, is now a guest house allocated to
foreign heads of state visiting Portugal.

12. The "Ceremonial Façade" of the corps de
logis designed by Oliveira

13. Architecture…
•From the beginning of the 18th century many foreign artists and architects were
employed in Portugal to satisfy the needs of the newly enriched aristocracy; they
brought with them classical ideas of architecture which derived from
the Renaissance.
•In its design, Queluz is a revolt against the earlier, heavier, Italian-
influenced Baroque which preceded the Rococo style throughout Europe.
•Work began in 1747 and continued rapidly until 1755, when it was interrupted by
the Great Earthquake of 1755. The earthquake proved to be a catalyst, because the
urban rebuilding process stimulated the development of the arts in Portugal.
•The subsequent architecture of Queluz was influenced by new ideas and concepts.
When work recommenced in 1758, the design was adapted for fear of another
earthquake. Thus the later works take the form of more structurally stable than a
single high block.

14. 1. Entrance plaza
2. Entrance Façade
3. Court (corps de logis)
4. Ceremonial Façade
5. Triton fountain in the
Hanging Garden
6. Ogee Pediment
7. Avenue
8. South façade of the Robillon
Wing
9. Robillon Wing
10. Colonnade
11. Robillon entrance steps
12. Chapel
13. North Wing
14. Topiary
15. Road
Layout of the palace

16. Architecture…
•The public façade of the palace faces directly onto a town square and takes the
form of two low, symmetrical, quadrant wings which flank the forward-reaching
wings of a small central corps de logis, thus forming a semi-circular cour
d'honneur (see key 1).
•The southern of the two quadrant wings is terminated by the onion-domed
chapel, while the northern wing contained the kitchens and servants' quarters (see
keys 2, 1 and 13).
•The only decoration comes from the simple classical pediments above the
windows.
•This façade, that most readily seen from the town, presents a decorous and
impassive public face with one of the most architecturally severe elevations of the
palace

17. Robillon's entrance is reached by flights Triton Fountain
Chapel & its dome The entrance square

18. Architecture…
Exterior
•Oliveira designed the "Ceremonial Façade" of the "corps de logis", the
rectangular block which forms the nucleus of the palace, and some of the interior
courtyards.
•Jean Robillon, designed the gardens & the Rococo interiors.
•The "Ceremonial Façade" is the best-known view of the palace. With classical
proportions, it is externally decorated by delicately carved ornaments over the
windows. This façade with its single-storey flanking wings forms a three-sided
courtyard containing the "Hanging Garden"—so called because like the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon it is on a raised terrace.
•The 2nd major part of the palace is the great western wing, known as the Robillon
wing or Robillon Pavilion, which illustrates better than any other the excesses of
Baroque and Rococo architecture.
•Completed in 1779, it has a doric colonnade which runs the entire length of its
western and southern façades, the roof of which provides a balustraded balcony
accessible from the floor above.

19. Architecture…
Exterior
•the eastern side appears as a single-storey building, with only the upper floor
visible above the ground in the "Hanging Garden".
•The balustrade on the roof of the Robillon wing is broken by heavy
segmental pediments adorned with reclining statuary figures; the balustrade itself
is also adorned with statuary and heavy armorial trophies.
•The Robillon wing contains an entrance to the palace reached by flights of
ingeniously designed graduated steps. Their design creates an illusion of a longer
and higher perspective, centred on a corner of a terrace. The steps are adorned
with elaborate statuary. The bays of the façade are stuccoed rose-pink, contrasting
with the motifs and pilasters in natural stone.

20. The south front of the Robillon wing. The Baroque extravagance is emphasized by being placed
above the simpler doric colonnade (key 8)

22. Architecture…
Interior
•French artisans were employed to decorate the rooms, many of which are small,
their walls and ceilings painted to depict historical scenes.
•Polished red bricks were frequently used for the floors, for a rustic appearance as
well as coolness in hot weather.
•A predominant feature of the interiors is the azulejos: polychrome glazed tiles,
often in a chinoiserie style with tones of blues and yellows contrasting with muted
reds.
•Materials for use on the interior included stone imported from Genoa and woods
from Brazil, Denmark and Sweden, while coloured marbles were imported from
Italy. Many of the palace's rooms were severely damaged by fire in 1934, and
much was lost.

23. Interior Pictures

24. Azulejos

25. Ground floor Plan

26. Architecture…
The State Apartments
The Sala das Mangas
•The Sala das Mangas (the only room in the state apartments to fully survive the 1934
fire) is a long gallery lined with tiled wall panels. The gallery leads to the enfilade
of state rooms. The formal rooms of the palace consist of three large halls: The Hall of
Ambassadors, The Music Room and the Ball Room. Other smaller rooms include the Gun
Room (where hunting parties would assemble), which is a frescoed painted with trees
and foliage by Pillement.
•The Music Room which follows the is decorated with gilded and painted wood and was
redesigned in 1768. The ceiling inset with painted cartouches is notable for the intricate
ribbed scheme of its design, similar to that of the vestibule at Caserta.
•The Music Room is decorated in a more neoclassical style than the other state rooms,
reflecting its redesign in the period following the Baroque Rococo in the final half of the
18th century. This room was the setting for the large concerts for which the palace was
famous. The room still contains the Empire grand piano decorated with gilt appliques. Like
many other rooms of the palace, the Music Room is lit by huge crystal chandeliers.

27. The "Sala de Mangas" decorated with tile panels illustrating the
wealth of Portugal's colonies

28. The Music Room (Portrait of Maria I hangs
above the piano)

29. Architecture…
The Ball Room
•It was designed by Robillon in 1760. To create this oval room the architect combined
five smaller rooms. The ormolu Rococo ornament takes the form of heavy gilding to
the walls and ceiling. The walls and doors are mirrored and the painted and gilded,
coffered ceiling is supported by golden caryatids.
The Hall of Ambassadors
•Sometimes called the throne room or the Hall of Mirrors, was designed by Robillon
in 1757 and is one of the largest reception rooms in the palace. This long low room
has a ceiling painted which depicts the Portuguese royal family attending a concert.
•The room is extremely wide and light, spanning the full width of the palace, with
tall
windows on both sides. Between each window is a semi-circular gilt console
table above which are pier glasses adorned with crystal sconces. The throne dais, set
in an apse, is flanked by gilded and mirrored columns, and the floor is a checkered
board pattern of black and white marble tiles.

30. The Ballroom

31. The Hall of Ambassadors

32. Architecture…
The Chapel
•During the occupancy of the palace by Dom Pedro and Maria I, the chapel was
central to the daily routine of their court. It was the first part of the palace to be
completed.
•Religion was one of Dom Pedro's favourite interests. During the reign of his wife
he attended to matters spiritual. The couple attended mass several times a day.
•Its large onion dome is dark and cavernous and decorated with carved wood,
the
detailing highlighted in red, green, blue and pink, by the Portuguese
sculptor Silvestre Faria Lobo.
•The upper level has galleries for the use of royal personages who would sit apart
from the congregation. One of these galleries contains a small Rococo pipe organ.
A feature of the chapel is the ornate portable font, its marble basin resting in an
elaborate Rococo frame surmounted by a carved wood cover.

33. The altar of the palace chapel
The vault above the altar inside the palace
chapel.

34. Architecture…
The Private Apartments
•The private rooms of the palace are far smaller and more intimate than the formal
state rooms and contain many royal memento which belonged to the rooms'
former occupants. Amongst the more remarkable rooms in this suite are the Sala
das Merendas, the Queen's Boudoir and the King's Bedroom.
The Sala das Merendas
•This was the royal family's private dining room. The decoration continues the
theme used in some of the more formal and public rooms, with tiled panels. These
panels, were produced by João Valentim and José Conrado Rosa.

35. The Sala das Merendas

36. Architecture…
The Queen’s Boudoir
•This was one of the private rooms used by Maria I. It is designed in the form of
a bower, with a trellis pattern on the ceiling which is reflected in the design of the
marquetry floor, giving the impression of being in a pergola rather than an interior.
•The walls are heavily mirrored by José Conrado Rosa. Next to the boudoir is the
Queen's bedroom; it was light and airy room.
The King’s Bedroom
•has been described as one of the most fantastic rooms in the palace.
•Although square, it gives the illusion of being completely circular, with a domed
ceiling supported by columns of mirrored glass. Between the columns
are cartouches depicting scenes from the tales of Don Quixote.
•The room contains a large bust of the King.

37. The King’s bedroom

38. The Queen's Boudoir. The trellis design in the marquetry floor matches
the pergola design painted on the ceiling above

39. Architecture…
The Palace Gardens
•Queluz is famed for the glory of its gardens, which include a
large topiary parterre laid out in the manner of Le Nôtre at the rear of the palace.

40. •Including the canals in the garden, are the work of the Dutch gardener Gerald
van der Kolk, who assisted Robillon from 1760.
•Formal terraces and walkways are given extra interest by statuary and
fountains.
•The dominant feature of the principal parterre is the "Portico dos Cavalinhos", a
garden temple flanked by two statues depicting Fames, and two sphinxes
surreally dressed in 18th-century costume, combining the formal and the
fantastic.
•This theme continues elsewhere in the gardens where such motifs as the rape
of the Sabines and the death of Abel alternate with statuary of donkeys dressed
in human clothing. Deeper in the gardens is a grotto complete with a cascade.
Later to be a popular feature in Portuguese gardens, the Queluz cascade was the
first artificial waterfall to be constructed near Lisbon.
Architecture…

41. One of the two sphinxes surreally dressed in
18th-century costume

42. Rape of Sabines

43. Architecture…
The Palace Gardens
•An avenue of huge magnolias forms the approach to the classical Robillon wing of
the palace, while from the wing a double staircase leads to the canal.
•More than 100m long, the walls of the canal are decorated with tiled panels
depicting seascapes and associated scenes. This is the largest of a series of canals in
the gardens bordered with chinoiserie-style azulejo tiles. It is fed by a stream.
•The gardens also contain a fountain with tritons and dolphins which has been
attributed to Bernini. There are further fountains and statuary in the lower gardens,
set within tall hedges of yew and cypress, and magnolia and mulberry trees.
•Chinoiserie in a broader scope refers to a mixture of
Eastern and Western stylistic elements for both
the decoration and shape.
•The style held particular favour during
the Rococo period and the court of Louis XV, with
which its fanciful, ornate imagery is associated.

44. Azulejos tiles line the walls of a canal in
the gardens. These tiles depict Rococo.
fountain with tritons and dolphins

45. Fountain in the gardens of Queluz National
Palace