Rococo: art and design in Hogarth's England : 16 May-30 September 1984, the Victoria and Albert Museum

Abstract

"The Rococo is the most decorative and witty of styles, and affected all the arts in England in the mid-eighteenth century from furniture to fashion and sculpture to ceramics. Among the chief supporters of the style was Hogarth, whose St. Martin's Lane Academy helped to spread its influence. Far from being an 'un-English' style it was rapidly adopted and resulted in some of the finest artistic achievements of the century: Chelsea porcelain, Spitalfields silk, De Lamerie silver and Chippendale furniture. This is the first work on this fascinating and unjustly neglected period of English art."-- Book cover.

Contents

The English Rococo: historical background -- What is Rococo? -- English Rococo and its continental origins -- Italy in England -- France in England -- Gravelot and printmaking -- Hogarth and St Martin's Lane -- Vauxhall Gardens -- Silver -- Gold chasing -- Objets de vertue -- Arms and armour -- Base metal -- Furniture and carving -- Architecture and interiors -- Textiles and dress -- Porcelain -- Earthenware -- Enamels and glass -- Chinoiserie and gothic -- Sculpture.