Originating in Paris around 1720, Rococo is characterized by natural motifs, soft colors, curved lines, and themes including love, nature, and carefree leisure.
The movement began in France as a reaction to the baroque grandeur of Louis XIV's court at the Palace of Versailles and was particularly associated with the powerful Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764), mistress of the new king Louis XV (1710-1774).
The term Rococo comes from the French word “rocaille,” or gravel, and refers to the stones and shells used in the decoration of grottoes, whose shape became a common feature of Rococo design. It began as an exquisite and ornamental style of interior decoration, characterized by elegant, flowing forms. It then moved into architecture, and later into painting and sculpture. With his sensual and irreverent paintings, François Boucher (1703-1770) was one of the most acclaimed painters of the Rococo, but the most important was Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), with his outdoor scenes of the fête galante genre. This type of French art was also popular in Germany and England, while Italian artists, such as the Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770), adopted a similar style, and Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775) was the great master of painted porcelain from Meissen.

Watteau first worked in Paris as a painter of theatrical scenery, then painted "modern" themes of the theatre of life. Boucher began with engravings on Watteau's paintings, then became the king's painter, balancing classical forms with delicacy, elegance and noble materials.