This is probably the most original period in the history of the French arts.
The Louis XV style evolved from the Regence style pushing further the movement of freedom of form. The rich townhouses focused on practicality; the private apartments were smaller in size.
Steering clearly away from the classical and antique references, the Louis XV style invented a new ornamental repertoire: the Rococo. Delicate and playful, the style is based on undulating lines and S curves, natural patterns and asymmetrical designs, focusing on interior design and furniture more than architecture with large white ceilings and central rosette plasterwork, pastel colours, high mirrors and a taste for the Chinese. Boucher is the painter of a period in which gallantry prevailed over the grandiose.