Rococo style is well known for being flamboyant and over the
top, and this toast rack found on Trademe is a good example of this. Its
swirling lines and excessive ornament make it hard to recognise the rack for
what actually it is; its form doesn't fit its purpose.
Rococo style was “inspired by elements from nature – shells,
corals, conches and waves.”, and these natural influences are
easy to see in this piece of work. We can see the base of the rack, which has
clearly been influenced by the form of sea shells, and we can also see evidence
of nature in the leaf used to decorate the handle. Neither of these design
aspects have anything at all to do with the purpose of the toast rack; they are
‘frivolous’, ‘over-elaborate’ and purely for aesthetic purposes.
Another indication that this object is of Rococo design is
its asymmetrical features. The actual rack part only covers half of the
object. This makes it look unbalanced,
and the addition of a small handle on the opposing side only unbalances it
more.
The ‘false principles’
of design were considered to be guidelines of how design was to be executed in
the 1800’s. This ‘proper’ design style was classical; form was to follow
function, and nature was to be used as a model. Rococo went against all of this: its decoration
was inappropriate for its function, it was very ornamental, and it imitated
nature. These Rococo aspects can all be found on this toast rack: It’s imitation
of leaves and shells make the decoration inappropriate for it’s function, and
it is ornamental in an over the top way.
Lauritz.com.(2011). Characteristics of the Rococo style. Retrieved from http://intl.lauritzblog.com/2011/11/25/characteristics-of-the-rococo-style/.
The Artchive. (unknown).
Rococo. Retrieved from http://www.artchive.com/artchive/rococo.html.
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