Background
Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi was born in Chiavari in the Republic of Genoa in 1767, the son of a cooper.
Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi was born in Chiavari in the Republic of Genoa in 1767, the son of a cooper.
Descalzi was apprenticed to one of the best master carpenters of Chiavari, and became a master craftsman himself.
In 1795 the Descalzi brothers opened a furniture workshop. Descalzi introduced the use of a polished slab of San Giacomo slate as a tabletop, a low-cost alternative to marble. In 1807 Rivarola challenged Descalzi to design a new, modern chair based on a chair that he had brought from Paris.
Descalzi created an simple, practical and elegant design for a cherrywood chairman
The chairs are both light and robust. Descalzi exploited traditional knowledge, paid strict attention to quality and developed new manufacturing techniques.
Chairs using the "Chiavarine" design became extremely popular and were purchased by many of the monarchs of the time. Many other factories opened in Chiavari and the surrounding towns, and some continue to make furniture today.