 
  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.
  
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