death_date birth_place nationality birth_date known_for article_title name occupation
1855 chiavari genoese 1767 chiavari chair giuseppe gaetano descalzi
 giuseppe gaetano descalzi furniture maker
giuseppe gaetano descalzi

giuseppe gaetano descalzi -lrb- 1767-1855 -rrb- 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 '' '' -lrb- `` the bell ringer '' -rrb- because his grandfather was the bell-ringer of the bacezza church .
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 .
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 .
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 chair .
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 .
descalzi 's furniture designs won numerous medals at trade shows .
his sons emanuele and giacomo and their descendants continued the chair making industry that he had founded .
many other factories opened in chiavari and the surrounding towns , and some continue to make furniture today .
