Object DetailsTitle: Campanino Chair Designer: Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi (1767-1855) Date: 1850 Culture: Italian Medium: Mahogany, silk Dimensions: Catalog Number: HOFR 717 ► On view in the Family Library HistoryThis elegant side chair was manufactured in Chiavari, a small town located in the Liguria region of Italy. In the nineteenth century, Chiavari became famous for their most popular export—a range of lightweight, but sturdy, delicate chiars, each component engineered for specific physical stresses. This model, the Campanino, is based on the original design created in 1807 by a local cabinetmaker Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi. Following his succes, many small factories opened in Chiavari and surrounding towns, offering a range of lightweight chairs that appear in other rooms throughout the Roosevelts' house. James Roosevelt purchased three of these chairs in Ravenna while making the Grand Tour in Italy in 1850. |
Last updated: June 8, 2023