decorative rock or shell work, esp as ornamentation in a rococo fountain, grotto, or interior
Word origin
from French, from rocrock1
rocaille in American English
(rouˈkai, French ʀɔˈkɑːjᵊ)
noun
Fine Arts
any of the fantastic ornamental, often asymmetrical, combinations characteristic of the Rococo period, consistingof rock, shell, and plant forms combined with artificial forms, esp C-curves
Word origin
[1855–60; ‹ F: pebble-work, deriv. of rocrock1]This word is first recorded in the period 1855–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: keyword, kickoff, lavabo, output, pickup
Examples of 'rocaille' in a sentence
rocaille
Royal works thus offered artists the means of developing the contemporary rocaille trend.
Françoise Joulie 2006, 'Philibert Orry : directeur général des Bâtiments du roi et collectionneur', Bulletin du Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailleshttp://journals.openedition.org/crcv/13279. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)