Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier, (born 1695 Turin, Savoy—died July 31, 1750, Paris), French goldsmith, interior decorator, and architect, often considered the leading originator of the influential Rococo style in the decorative arts. The name of Meissonnier arises instinctively as soon as one begins to discuss French Rococo. He is the renovator, or, preferably, the creator, of the art as we know it, and one can easily understand the enthusiasm and the admiration aroused by his work
Early in his career Meissonier migrated to Paris, receiving a warrant as master goldsmith from King Louis XV in 1724 and an appointment as designer for the king’s bedchamber and cabinet in 1726. He was spurred by a desire for conquest, and shows himself ever fertile in imagination, of infinite fancy, constantly advancing, with undiminished freedom and originality. He had a powerful and fertile imagination; his fantastic grottoes and swirling, animated, asymmetrical metalwork designs combined contrasting and original motifs - designs that solidify the creative genious of Meissonier. As a goldsmith, he was remarkable for the boldness of his designs. He prepared three fine sets of sketches for interior decoration, furniture, and goldsmith designs. He also developed a plan for the facade of the church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, in 1726
