Eugenio Quarti (1867-1929) is an Italian furniture maker called "the goldsmith of furniture makers".

Biography

Eugenio Quarti was born in Villa d'Almè, a small village in the province of Bergamo, from an artisan family of woodworkers. In 1881, at the age of 14 years old he goes to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, where he will learn new techniques and broaden his horizons. In 1886, he returned to Italy and settled in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

where he worked, for a short period, with

Carlo Bugatti Carlo Bugatti (2 February 1856 – April 1940) was an Italian decorator, designer and manufacturer of Art Nouveau furniture, models of jewelry, and musical instruments. Biography Son of Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, a specialist in interior dec ...

and then open his own workshop in via Donizetti 3. His early works are strongly marked by Bugatti Moorish’s style, but already the exhibition of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

of 1898 you can see the first signs of Art Nouveau and his personal style. He was always attentive to the quality and originality of his accomplishments, always attentive to every art form. Furniture realized mainly in walnut with inlays of nacre and metallic applications. Develop over time a harmonic elegance of the decor, with thread-like grounds, valuable wood species and inlays and high quality bezels with fine materials (nacre, silver, copper, bronze, pewter, etc.), this characteristic was called "the goldsmith of furniture makers." In 1900 he participates at the Paris International exposition where he received the "Grand Prix" of the jury. Will participate in a number of other exposures as that of Turin in 1902 and Milan in 1906 where he will receive the "Grand Royal Award" and the "Diploma of gold medal". Eugenio Quarti worked with the most prestigious architects of his time ( Giuseppe Sommaruga, Luigi Broggi, Alfredo Campanini, etc.) well as with the great artists/craftsmen of his time as Alessandro Mazzucotelli. He also worked as a decorator, designing entire furniture for both public and private buildings. It was he who designed the furniture for Palazzo Castiglioni in Milan, Villa Carosio in Baveno, Grand Hotel and Casino in

San Pellegrino Terme San Pellegrino Terme ( Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. Located in the Val Brembana, it is the location of the beverage company San Pellegrino, where its carbonated mineral water drinks are produced. ...

, Hungaria Palace Hotel in Venice Lido. One of his most significant works were the vessels of the "Bar Camparino", at the entrance site of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. however not disdain also committed less important such as the furniture for Villa Mariani to

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

residence of the painter

Pompeo Mariani Pompeo Mariani (9 September 1857, Monza – 25 January 1927, Bordighera) was an Italian painter. Biography Mariani was born in Monza, Province of Milan. The nephew of the painter Mosè Bianchi, he abandoned a career in banking to devote himsel ...

. To its activities before cabinetmaker, decorator and then also join a teaching and become Director of applied art workshop for timber, the Company Umanitaria. He was, without doubt, one of the great Italian cabinetmakers of the twentieth century, and some of his furniture is exhibited in various museums around the world, including the Museum of Decorative Arts of Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the

Orsay Museum Orsay () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. A fortified location of the Chevreuse valley since the 8th century ...

of Parigi, the

Wolfsonian Museum The Wolfsonian–Florida International University or The Wolfsonian-FIU, located in the heart of the Art Deco District of Miami Beach, Florida, is a museum, library and research center that uses its collection to illustrate the persuasive power of ...

Miami, etc. At his death in 1929, his son Mario Quarti (1901-1974) inherits his father's business, restructuring it and over the years thirty the "Quarter - furniture art", located in Via Palermo, will count about 200 workers.

Honours

The 8 September 1907 he was invested Knight of the

Order of Merit for Labour The Order of Merit for Labour ( it, Ordine al Merito del Lavoro) is an Italian order of chivalry that was founded in 1923 by King Vittorio Emanuele III. It is awarded to those "who have been singularly meritorious" in agriculture, industry and ...

Gallery

Tea table, 1914-15, Eugenio Quarti, walnut, mahogany, brass, celluloid and glass, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum II.JPG, Eugenio Quarti, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum Table (1914–15) (USA) Specola biblioteca fatta da Quarti.jpg , Library made by Eugenio Quarti for Villa Mariani in

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarti, Eugenio Italian woodworkers People from the Province of Milan Labour, Order of Merit for 1867 births 1926 deaths