A pair of South German giltwood canapés à châssis, mid-18th century

A characteristic example of Rococo in Germany

In Germany, at the end of the 18th century, Rococo was referred to as Zopf und Perücke (rat tail and wig), giving rise to the name of this period, Zopfstil. Rococo remained popular in Germany and Italy until the second phase of Neoclassicism and the introduction of the Empire style under Napoleon. The grand interiors of the palaces of Nymphenburg, Monbijou, Sanssouci, Gise, Charlottenburg and the Residenz in Würzburg (notably its Hall of Mirrors, destroyed during the Second World War) are examples of the Rococo style that took hold in aristocratic residences in Germany.

Several engravings of large decorative projects, drawn by German ornamentalists of the time, conceptualise a comprehensive interior architecture. In a prestigious residence, between the stucco and gilded woodwork, a commode or a console table, a large mirror sits enthroned above a fireplace. The German drawings in the Rothschild collection at Waddesdon Manor (particularly those by Simon Gehle and François de Cuvilliés), the collections of drawings by Franz-Xaver Habermann and the projects by the Hoppenhaupt brothers give us an insight into the tastes of the period in southern Germany.

Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt II (1709–1778/79) is best known for designing Rococo interiors for Frederick the Great, notably at Berlin's Stadtschloss, Charlottenburg Palace and Sanssouci Palace.

Born in Merseburg, Saxony, Hoppenhaupt trained in Dresden and Vienna before settling in Berlin when Frederick the Great ascended the Prussian throne in 1740. In 1746, he succeeded the court sculptor Johann August Nahl (d.1781) as Directeur des ornements (Director of Ornaments) for Frederick the Great. Nahl had a decisive influence on Hoppenhaupt's Rococo style, which is perfectly illustrated by the present pair of canapés.