Rococo

A typical feature of Rococo is the ornament that gave it its name; the rocaille, with a shape reminiscent of a seashell or earlobe. Rocailles decorated every structure, and, in places where architecture wasn’t affected these elegant motifs at least made an appearance in the interiors and furniture decoration.

Rococo dreams at chateaux

In contrast to the heavy, mystical Baroque, Rococo was a flood of pastel colours and white and gold ornamentation. A typical Rococo structure can be seen at Nové Hrady Chateau, known as the Czech Versailles, and no wonder – the owner of the estate, Count Jean-Antoine Harbuval de Chamaré, was actually inspired by French summer residences. The chateau is surrounded by ornamental gardens with a Baroque open-air theatre.

A charming Rococo chateau with a mansard roof can also be found in Dobříš. The Chateau includes a French garden, one of the most exquisite chateau gardens in the Czech Republic. The garden is spread over several terraces, contains a Rococo orangerie, fountains, floral ornamentation, bushes pruned into complicated shapes and a marvellous box tree broderie.

Rococo – the playful style

It didn’t take Rococo long to dominate garden architecture, sculpture, painting and the applied arts. The carefree world of the Rococo was captured in its purest form by French painter, Jean-Antoine Watteau, whose gallant scenes, sparkling with sensual eroticism, can be seen in both the Dobříš Chateau Gardens and the Bellarie Rococo summer palace in Český Krumlov, which is situated in the middle of the chateau gardens and serves as one of the backdrops for the open-air theatre and its rotating stage. The luxury Rococo interiors are decorated with a large amount of ornamental features, the most popular of which include the small statues made of Meissen and Viennese porcelain, and which can be seen in both Dobříš and, for example, Nebílovy Chateau.