Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi

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

For other uses, see Descalzi.
Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi
Born1767
Chiavari
Died1855
NationalityGenoese
OccupationFurniture maker
Known forChiavari 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

Citations

  1. Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi - Tigullio.
  2. La storia.
  3. 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.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (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.
  • "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. Retrieved 7 November 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Company". Podestà Adriano - Sedie. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
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