The English Rococo

Hi, hello and welcome to this episode of Geography Gal. Today I'm going to be continuing on my look at the Rococo era that dominated French art and decorative arts in the 18th century. If you didn't see my previous video about French Rococo, then do check it out as I go into this in detail. If you haven't seen it, then to recap, Rococo was a design style that was superficial, degenerate and illogical. It emerged in France during the 1720s and 30s and is whimsical, fanciful and full of pastels, asymmetry, mythology and flirtatious decor. The Rococo made its way across the pond to England between 1740 and 1770. It came in the form of silver engravings of ornaments, which was brought over by many French immigrants and Huguenot refugees. Over time, the British, who initially lacked the stylistic and technical skills to replicate French Rococo, established their own designs in silverware, furniture and in gardens. The Rococo era went hand in hand with other stylistic choices at the time, which were big in Britain, such as Gothic and Chinoiserie, often melding together in some harmony. But still, Rococo was distinct. The act of settlement in 1701 meant that after Queen Anne's reign as a monarch, her closest living Protestant relative could become king or queen. When she passed in 1714, George Louis from Hanover, Germany, was nominated her heir and became King George I. He was the first Hungarian king of Great Britain, and during his reign, the country went through modernisation, including the progression of a cabinet government, and the monarchy was starting to loosen its grip and authority on politics. George I was active in foreign policy, going up with France in opposition in Spain in 1718, and by 1720 in Britain, a major economic crisis had hit, leading to political ambiguity, disorder and disease within British society. By 1727, George Augustus, son of George I, became king, still facing the same issues with opposing political parties, disruption and conflict. During this time, the Palladian style had dominated British society. But with its grandiose buildings, which were expensive and so reserved for the elite, the middle classes of the 18th century couldn't keep up with the landscape parks of the landed gentry, and so opted for the Rococo. This was a subversive style, characterised by irregularity, asymmetry, fanciful urban imitation, that was small in comparison to the grandiosity of Palladian style. Rococo was a departure from rules and discipline, towards romanticism and expression. Through a political lens, it can be viewed as a reaction against the autocracy of France and its regimented gardens, like in Versailles. The English gave very Rococo flavour to their gardens. This was reflected in serpentine lakes, flowerbeds and mostly architecture. The best example of a Rococo garden is Painwick Garden in Stroud, Gloucestershire. There are some formal straight paths and axes in its design, but there is one goose foot, which is a straight path radiating from a single point, being distorted by one path, which is serpentizing. With the Rococo came new styles, such as cheminotserie, which was influenced by decor discovered from China. Chinese pavilions were decorated with dragons, bells and fretwork, and eaves, which created a pretty but exotic decoration. Many were made from wood, framed with shells, butterflies and birds. Rustic architecture was shown in root houses, huts and materials made from branches, roots, moss and boulders, with ruins being a big part of the Rococo scene, and Gothic, which reflected back on medieval architecture. Thomas Wright was a famous Rococo designer. His grotto at Hampton Court House in London, which has a ceiling depicting the heavens and lots of shell work on the interior walls, was classic. Now on to silverware. Rococo appeared in England with the embellishment and engravings on silverware, brought to life by immigrant artists and craftsmen, just like Huguenot refugees from France. One such Huguenot refugee in 1691 was Paul de la Meria, who led the way in ornamenting the best of British silver. He's been described by the British Museum as the greatest silversmith, working in England in the 18th century. He was a French Huguenot who followed William and Orange during the Glorious Revolution. Oh my God, if you want to know more about that, then check out my video on the freedom of speech in Amsterdam during this period, and how this influenced some of the biggest changes to British politics when the Glorious Revolution came to Britain. He did find himself in some trouble, passing off work of others as his own, and he was accused of making and selling plates without getting them signed off by the Goldsmiths' Hall. But by 1717, he was referred to as the King Silversmith. He committed a lot of fraud and refused to play by the strict regulations of the gold and silver trade, removing hallmarks from smaller products and attaching them to larger ones, and avoiding playing duties by changing the address of his shop and changing the marker on his products. What he created was very influential, creating French products, normalising them in English life, such as fish slices and soup taurines. He became incredibly wealthy, making some expensive investments during the 1930s. There was a feeling that Britain did not have the skills to compete with French imported goods, which led to a campaign to improve the design standards of the Rococo in Britain. From the year 1742, furniture designers and cabinet makers Locke and Copland published prints which defined a very British form of Rococo scrollwork. This dominated until the mid-1760s. During this time, a lot of British prints were of original designs. This dominated until the mid-1760s. During this time, a lot of British prints were of original designs. However, many continued to limit French work of silver and furniture that were very much at the top of the market. Another expression of Rococo style was in a furniture called Chippendale, which rose to fashion in the third quarter of the 18th century. It was named after English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. It was the first of styles of furniture in England named after a cabinetmaker, not a monarch, and rose to dizzying heights of fame at a time where craftsmanship was the ----. The same with gardens. The Chippendale designs brought together Gothic, Chinese and Rococo styles in a harmonious way. Gothic, which incorporated pointed arches and curves in the backs of chairs. Chinese, which saw Chippendale furniture coated with an oriented style of varnish. And Rococo, which became bigger in the 1750s and 60s, and what is specifically referred to with the namesake Chippendale. French Rococo designs were modified to appeal to a less flamboyant English market, and there existed French chairs based on Louis XV designs. The best known is that of the broad-seated ribbon-backed chair, with a cupid's bow on the back rail and with interlacing ribbons carved into the back. As lovely as it was, the Rococo era soon came to an end and evolved into neoclassicism. At this time, the Enlightenment was in full swing. Isaac Newton had published Principia in 1687, and architects were looking for their own principles. It was the beginnings of modernism, with classicism coming to the fore, with Hanoverians evolving beyond the inconsistencies and style of Barocco and Rococo of the stewards. Philosophers such as Rousseau and Laguerre argued that architecture should be essential rather than more decorational. Columns should hold weight and pediments should not just be added to buildings just to look pretty. And that's it for today's episode. I really hope you enjoyed this look at the English Rococo. If you want to know more about neoclassicism and Gothic architecture that tussled in the 18th century to dominate architectural stylistic choices, then I've got your back. Check out my Greek vs Gothic architecture video, which looks at the different stylistic choices and the cultural and societal reasons behind them. It is the grandiosity of buildings like the British Museum, built at the time of a British obsession with Greece, versus the drama and contrast of Gothic buildings like in the Houses of Parliament. It's absolutely fascinating, so check it out. If you enjoyed today's epi, please give us a like. If you've got thoughts, please comment them below. I'd love to hear from you. And definitely subscribe as I create new videos every Tuesday. Okay, goodbye!