Baroque, from the Italian barocco — meaning flamboyant or bizarre. Born in the late 16th century, the baroque style was the first in the history of art to unite two concepts — style and way of life. Speaking of 17th-century art, one usually notes the simultaneous coexistence of two dominant styles — baroque and classicism.
Rome is considered the birthplace of baroque, while the most striking examples of baroque architecture were created in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Southern Germany, Bohemia, Poland, Lithuania, and in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies of Latin America. In all these countries the Catholic Church wielded very great influence, and thus baroque became the style it adopted as its own.
The baroque style was meant to demonstrate the wealth and prestige of its owner.
In interior design, baroque strives for grandeur, splendor, and spatial sweep. The changeability and fanciful play of images in baroque interiors is comparable to the shifting moods of a seashell — baroque, after which the style was named.
The main features of the baroque interior are a heightened dynamism of forms and a restless rhythm of curved lines. Complex dynamic oval spirals were used in the decoration of windows, furniture, and tableware. Disregard for the nature of the material led to curved, highly plastic surfaces, twisted columns, plump balusters, and richly profiled cornices and frames. Shields, cartouches, whimsically winding stems, shells, wreaths, and garlands served as motifs for carved and mosaic decorative compositions. Furniture was often covered with bright paintings and lacquers; gold, silver, copper, ivory, marble, various wood species, and inlay with crystal plates were introduced into the decor. The ornamentation is complex, at times even overloaded. Seats were upholstered in expensive fabrics and lavishly trimmed with fringe.
The walls of wealthy palaces were decorated with stucco or carved wood. Luxurious tapestries were loved in private chambers. Skilled painters decorated the ceilings. The most popular colors of the baroque style were white combined with gold. Floral ornaments were in fashion. Winding spirals replaced the calm classical forms of circles and ovals. The surface of furniture and interior objects lost its smoothness, becoming rough, convex-concave, and covered with lacquer on top.
Veneering and the technique of wooden inlay (marquetry) became widespread among furniture makers. Instead of oak, soft walnut — more suitable for carving and polishing — was increasingly used to make furniture. The wood was usually covered entirely with gilding. Gilded bronze mounts were used as decoration. As the baroque style developed, finishing materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, porcelain, mother-of-pearl, mirror, and stone mosaic were mastered.
Seating furniture — chairs, armchairs, sofas — lost its straight forms; the legs, in particular, changed. They became curved, which gave the furniture lightness. The furniture itself was upholstered in expensive fabrics and decorated with gilding and fringe. The baroque era saw the first furniture suites, and chaise longues entered everyday use — chairs with a deeply reclined back and an extended seat for outstretched legs. Sofas resembled several armchairs joined together. Their upholstery was bright, made of rich decorative fabric. The upper edge of the sofa back was made wavy.
Baroque tables were covered with a massive tabletop of colored marble or mosaic. Their shape could be anything, but round and rectangular tables were considered the most fashionable. The legs of baroque tables are especially remarkable — richly inlaid, shaped as female figures or with the heads of lions and rams supporting the tabletop. The edges of the tables were adorned with rich carving and inlay. Consoles on two legs were also very popular. Console tables were placed against the wall. They served a purely decorative purpose. A mirror was hung above the console.
In the baroque era, the bed was one of the most lavishly adorned pieces of furniture in the interior. Guests were often received reclining in bed, so gradually the bed acquired the form of a canopy tent with an abundance of curtains, draperies, and ornaments.
Studies and secretary desks were decorated with carving and exquisite finishing. Another novelty in furniture interiors was the chest of drawers with pull-out drawers. Floor clocks decorated with bronze, display cabinets, sculpture pedestals, and two-door wardrobes became widespread. Turned legs firmly supported the massive furniture. A dressing table with a large mirror standing on it became an essential item in any bedroom.
The baroque style reflected the spirit of its age: the grandeur of monarchic and aristocratic power, expressed in majestic architecture, splendid interior finishes, gilded furniture, and the brilliance and luxury of a way of life. In endless scrolls and masses of precious materials, power was embodied.
Today the baroque style is associated with a museum style. Living in such surroundings is hard — the abundance of gilding and ornaments weighs too heavily.
A baroque interior is not quite suitable for a small country house, because it requires ample space and the use of massive furniture and ornaments that would further shrink the already modest volume. But if baroque is to your taste, you can limit yourself to a light stylization, using only certain details.
When using baroque in a country house interior, you need to think through the color scheme of the room, divide it into an upper and a lower level, make small niches in the walls and place your favorite figurines in them, or vases with a floral ornament. It is important to keep a sense of proportion, otherwise the baroque will look out of place and excessive.
