Details: Gruppo Romi KHL16.4808 Louis XVI - Key Head

This style really began in the second part of the reign of Louis XV and expanded over the entire reign of Louis XVI. The origins of this style go back to the ruins of Pompeii and the Greco-Roman art, during this time archaeological sites were visited by architects that brought back new designs. The revelation of Greek art around 1760 was critical in the development of this style. Louis XVI decoration followed the influence of two writers and thinkers of the time Diderot and Rousseau, the first one brought simplicity and sensibility and the second one concentrated in the love of nature and the return to a simple life. Rustic motifs like land working utensils, baskets with flowers, hearts and arrows, ribbons, garlands with leaves and flowers, musical instruments, scientific instruments, oval shaped medallions and fire torches mixed with elements of antiquity like beaded, rais-de coeur, Greek friezes and reed and ribbon details. This style is a mix of archaic and naturalistic motifs as well as sentimental attributes, which account for its uniqueness and charm.