Baroque

Power and splendour: heavy forms, rich sculpture and symmetry, in courts and churches across Europe.

The Baroque was born in Rome and spread with the courts. In France, Louis XIV's Versailles became the model for all of Europe: everything, from the garden to the chairs, was to show the king's power.

In Sweden the Baroque came with the age of great power. Furniture was heavy and richly carved, and silver was embossed with flowers and leaves in high relief.

Heavy, turned legs and weighty mouldings

Carved acanthus leaves, shells and putti

Strict symmetry and large gilded surfaces

Walnut, oak and gilded wood