Which term is an ornamental late Baroque style with excess decoration?

• A. High relief
• B. Rotunda
• C. Stipple engraving
• D. Rococo

Answer: (D)

Rococo is the ornamental late Baroque style defined by exuberant decoration, lightness, and playful elegance. It emerges in 18th-century France as a lighter, more intimate counterpart to grand Baroque drama, embracing curling forms, S-shaped curves, and intricate scrollwork with motifs like shells, flowers, and delicate foliage. Interiors, paintings, and decorative arts lean toward pastel colors, gilded surfaces, and witty, carefree scenes, creating a sense of charm and ornament rather than monumental weight. This emphasis on elaborate decoration and graceful, decorative motifs is what sets Rococo apart.

Other terms refer to things that aren’t this stylistic approach. High relief describes how a sculpture projects from its background; a rotunda is a large circular building, typically with a dome; stipple engraving is a printmaking technique using tiny dots to build shading. None of these capture the distinct, highly adorned, playful character that defines Rococo.