Rococo is a style of 18th century French art
and interior design. Rococo rooms were
designed as total works of art with elegant
and ornate furniture, small sculptures,
ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing
architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings. It was
largely supplanted by the Neoclassic style. The
word Rococo is seen as a combination of the French
rocaille, or shell, and the Italian barocco, or Baroque
style. Due to Rococo love of shell-like curves and
focus on decorative arts, some critics used the term
to derogatively imply that the style was frivolous
or merely modish; interestingly, when the term
was first used in English in about 1836, it was a
colloquialism meaning "old-fashioned". However,
since the mid 19th century, the term has been
accepted by art historians. While there is still
some debate about the historical significance
of the style to art in general, Rococo is now
widely recognized as a major period in the
development of European art.