The Palace of Versailles is the most famous royal chateau in France, it is a magnificent example of baroque and Rococo French architecture. Located some 20 kilometers southwest of Paris, and set amidst extensive grounds, the palace and its decoration stimulated a rebirth of interior design, as well as decorative art, during the 17th and 18th centuries. Indeed, French decorative art during the period 1640-1792, especially French furniture, is synonymous with the French Kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. This paper will focus on the Louis XV rococo styleas seen in Versailles, and the feminine influences and designers that made it different from the Louis XIV baroque style.
From 1682 to the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, the Palace of Versailles housed the King and the entire French royal court, a total of some 3,000 residents, making it a symbol of the absolutism and decadence of the “old regime” in general, and the French monarchy in particular. The royal chateau itself is not the only building complex in the grounds, which also include five chapels,
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Both styles are heavily influenced by the arts and each style has an association with famous artists. Rococo paintings feature pastel colors, sinuous curves and lighter subjects of mythology, romantic love and portraiture. Famous names in Rococo art include Francois Boucher, known for opulent paintings of self-indulgence and Giambattista Tiepolo, who created fabulous wall and ceiling fresco paintings. Baroque paintings are much more dramatic and theatrical with a strong sense of movement, darker colors and a focus on key elements of Catholic dogma. Famous Baroque artists include Pietro da Cortano, a trompe l’oeil style ceiling fresco painter and Peter Paul Rubens, who created the well-known masterpiece, “Massacre of the