The pieces on display in this room were made between 1730 and 1770. They illustrate the emergence of Rococo ornamentation and show how it developed to the extent of changing the very structure of the objects.
This room shows how Rococo ornamentation – inspired by shells and flowing water and free of any reference to classical antiquity – emerged and developed to such a degree that it changed the very structure of the objects it decorated. The pieces on display, made between 1730 and 1770, emphasize the dynamism of this new ornamental vocabulary and the impact it had for a half century before it was superseded by neoclassicism. The carved furniture pieces reflect the spontaneity of a creative form with no formal rules, while the silverware and ceramics illustrate the extreme sophistication of compositions (the candlestick by Claude Duvivier after a design by Juste Aurèle Meissonnier, the Vincennes porcelain sauce boat by Jean-Claude Chambellan Duplessis, etc). The international spread of Rococo art is illustrated by a Venetian commode typical of Roman Rococo (barocchetto).