y had experienced before. This was in keeping with the spirit of the age. The Rococo period (1720-1760) was a time of great social change in Europe. Bazin has noted that in France in particular, "financiers now mingled with the old noblesse d'epee and noblesse de robe; intellectuals also were admitted, and they helped to bring advanced ideas into vogue in a milieu where women were developing refinement of taste, good manners and the art of living."5 Rococo style helped to lend a sense of elegant frivolity to the social gatherings and popular salons of the day. In spite of the greater openness between the various strata of society, the Rococo style remained largely a "rich man's hobby, something strictly for millionaires or princes of higher rank, whether laymen or churchmen."6 The style was simply too expensive for the average person.
Before the advent of the Rococo style, French interior design was largely characterized by small scale rooms decorated with gold-edged panelling and mirrors. By 1720, however, "this decoration began to acquire sinuous forms and to find place for rocaille."7 Interior design became more important during this period as "people turned away from Louis XIV's solemn vistas of rooms and sought to specialize the places where people lived in accordance with their uses - a bedroom, an antechamber, a dining room, a reception room replacing the gallery, a study, a boudoir for leisure, a library."8 As such, decorative arts and interior design took on a greater importance than the fine arts per se, and fine art techniques were applied to the decorative arts. For example, individual paintings or sculptures were subordinate elements in the overall decor of a room. This enabled the designer to create a total work of art, wherein each of the fine arts played a role. As stated by Molesworth and Kenworthy- Browne, "every part or element was a vital contribution to the whole, from walls and floors an
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