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Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi

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Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi
Born1767
Chiavari
Died1855
NationalityGenoese
OccupationFurniture maker
Known forChiavari chair

Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi (1767-1855) was a Genoese furniture maker, best known as the inventor of the Chiavari chair.

Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi was born in Chiavari in the Republic of Genoa in 1767, the son of a cooper. He was called "il Campanino" ("the bell ringer") because his grandfather was the bell-ringer of the Bacezza church.[1] Descalzi was apprenticed to one of the best master carpenters of Chiavari, and became a master craftsman himself.[2] In 1795 the Descalzi brothers opened a furniture workshop.[3] In 1796 he received a silver medal for two wooden chests of drawers from the Chiavari Società Economica, which had been founded five years earlier by the Marquis Stefano Rivarola.[1] Descalzi introduced the use of a polished slab of San Giacomo slate as a tabletop, a low-cost alternative to marble.[4]

Chivari Fruitwood Ballroom Chairs

In 1807 Rivarola challenged Descalzi to design a new, modern chair based on a chair that he had brought from Paris.[1] Descalzi created a simple, practical and elegant design for a cherrywood chair.[3] The chairs are both light and robust.[5] Descalzi exploited traditional knowledge, paid strict attention to quality and developed new manufacturing techniques.[2] Chairs using the "Chiavarine" design became extremely popular and were purchased by many of the monarchs of the time.[1] Descalzi's furniture designs won numerous medals at trade shows.[6] His sons Emanuele and Giacomo and their descendants continued the chair making industry that he had founded.[1] Many other factories opened in Chiavari and the surrounding towns, and some continue to make furniture today.[7]

References

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Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi - Tigullio.
  2. ^ a b La storia.
  3. ^ a b Liguria suggested itineraries.
  4. ^ Comitato Centrale Italiano 1862, p. 61.
  5. ^ Company - Podestà Adriano.
  6. ^ Camera di commercio, industria, artigianato ... 1832, p. 54.
  7. ^ Montagni 1985, p. 14.

Sources

  • Camera di commercio, industria, artigianato ... (1832). Giudicio della Regia Camera d'agricoltura e di commercio di Torino sui prodotti dell'industria de' Regi Stati ammessi alla pubblica triennale esposizione dell'anno 1832 nelle sale del R. Castello del Valentino. Tipografia Chirio e Mina. Retrieved 2012-11-07.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Comitato Centrale Italiano (1862). Official descriptive catalogue: prepared for the International Exhibition, 1862. Published by order of the Royal Italian Commission. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  • "Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi". Tigullio Visit. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  • "La storia". Levaggi Sedie. Retrieved 2012-11-07.[permanent dead link]
  • "Liguria suggested itineraries - From Rapallo to Sestri". Italy Traveller. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  • Montagni, Loredana Pessa (1985). L' arte della sedia a Chiavari: catalogo della mostra, Chiavari, 14 dicembre 1985, 14 gennaio 1986. Sagep Ed. ISBN 9788870581720. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  • "Company". Podestà Adriano - Sedie. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
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