It is ironic that at the end of the 18th century, as people became less and less formal, the final phase in decoration was one of refinement, academicism and a certain chasteness.
The reason is that those who built and decorated were increasingly sophisticated and required new stimulation from their surroundings which fulfilled their sense of romance and need for adventure.
The great excitement of these decades was the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii and the inclusion of Greece and the Near East on Grand Tour itineraries. The combination of these produced a flood of new information about ancient architecture and decoration and it became fashionable to emulate the motifs used by both the Greeks and the Romans.
With the zeal of converts, the vigorous naturalistic motifs of the rococo movement were abandoned in favour of a much more static and refined style.
Rococo died a sudden death, victim of its own caprice. Patrons happily ensconced in a world of shellwork and Chinoiserie happily switched allegiance from one style to the other. In Ireland it is not uncommon to witness how the new neoclassical succeeded rocaille mid-project.
The fickleness of fashion is seen at Castletown where Lady Louisa Conolly commissioned riotous rococo decoration in 1760/61 from Filippo Franchini but effortlessly switched to the erudite neoclassicism of Sir William Chambers and Isaac Ware from 1764 onwards. This is all the more remarkable because the change in styles was radical: compared to the robust rococo, neoclassical ornament was either in low relief or painted, entirely symmetrical and composed of the most fragile ornamentation.
The architect Robert Adam capitalised on the new archaeological information using the plans of newly discovered Roman bath complexes as inspiration for domestic reception rooms. Ovals, apses, octagons, domes and bows became the way to enliven reception rooms, linking one with the other but also including the outside landscape. Distribution was the key to successful entertaining -- enticing, exciting and drawing people through rooms decorated with archaeological arabesque ornament. This ornament, often referred to as grotesque work, was originally a Roman invention executed in plaster or paint, composed of medallions, leafwork and whimsical architectural detail. It was infinitely varied, light hearted and on occasion learned.
The Long Gallery at Castletown sums up the characteristics of this style. An 80 ft long north-facing room built as a picture gallery in the 1720s, it was not conducive to comfort, in the eyes of Lady Louisa Conolly in the 1770s. However, she had it painted in the Pompeian style, heated by two chimney-pieces, lit by enormous chandeliers reflected in sheets of French mirror glass, crowded with desks, bookcases, card tables and musical instruments. The result: "the comfort of the room is beyond description - that people cannot be formal in it", which was the ultimate accolade.
Colour was most important medium for interpreting neoclassical ideas. Robert Adam initially attempted to use the strong colour schemes of ancient Rome. These were rapidly abandoned in favour of delicate tints and tonal variations. These accorded with Edmund Burke's then fashionable theories of "Beauty" - whose attributes included delicacy, paleness and femininity.
Whole rooms were decorated in shades of cream highlighted by grisaille or grey-green decorative touches.
Green however was the popular colour used by Adam, Wyatt and Chambers - the three architectural giants of the time. It might vary in intensity but generally was used to emphasise the architecture of a room, dark dado, medium wall, dark ground to frieze and a wash of the palest creamy green on the ceiling. Other popular colours derived from the excavations but paled beyond recognition were blue-greys, pinks and daring mauves.
