Rocaille Setting in Landscape with Classical and Chinoiserie Elements
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-94-663
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Alexis Peyrotte’s *Rocaille Setting in Landscape with Classical and Chinoiserie Elements* captures the playful spirit of mid-eighteenth-century French design. Created around 1740, the print reflects the Rococo period’s love of ornate, asymmetrical forms—known as rocaille after the shell-like motifs that swirl through the composition. Peyrotte, a skilled ornamental designer, combined these fluid curves with classical ruins and delicate Chinese-inspired figures and pagodas, illustrating the era’s fascination with exotic and antique worlds reimagined for elegant interiors. As a print, the work l...