This term that has come to designate a stylistic period corresponding roughly with the seventeenth century in (mainly catholic) europe (generally following on mannerism in the sixteenth century and merging into the rococo later into the eighteenth). Baroque style is often characterized as having a complex sinuosity of form, line and overall composition; often elaborate detail, whether naturalistic or decorative, and bold color and strong contrasts in lighting (see chiaroscuro); all of which contribute to the hallmark grandeur and emotional intensity of many of the period’s masterpieces. More broadly, the self-conscious exploration of metaphor and especially allegory are also seen as developments within baroque aesthetics. Like most stylistic periods, the baroque was identified as such only later in history, established largely in art historical terms by heinrich wölfflin in his volume entitled renaissance and baroque.