THE CHIAVELLI
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THE CHIAVELLI |
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 The Chiavelli
dominion asserted itself in Fabriano from 1378 to 1435. The historic feudal
family became key subjects of Fabriano during the formation of the liberated
Council, ensuring economic stability to their powerful family represented
by Guido Napoletano, who conquered the city’s government after depriving
the economic and political power of the authority of the city’s arts.
His introduction in the entrepreneurial and financial world goes from
the control of local manufacturing and production activities to the trading
of paper, an activity prevalently carried out by the then middle-class
artisans and merchants. In fact the certain profits that were derived
from paper art induced the Chiavelli family to increase the development
of the paper industry with the purchase of fulling-mills (gualchiere)
from small manufacturers eliminated by the competition, and give life
to commercial companies by committing large sums of capital. The importance
and fame attained by paper the main product of Fabriano are found even
in the Council Statute of 1436 that, for understandable motives of “public
utility”, prohibited anyone from erecting within a radius of 50 miles
from Fabriano buildings for paper manufacturing and the teaching of the
paper making secrets to those not residing within the Council territory,
pending a fine of 50 ducats. A few years later the prohibition was re-confirmed
with higher penalties for transgressors, whom were threatened with being
considered as “rebels” and thereby banned from the city with consequent
capital confiscation. The care with which the local tribunal protected
its local craft and secrets is highlighted in a document from 1445, when
the Council priors, concerned that the eventual death of the maestro Piero
di Stefano, the only artisan who practiced the “modular” art in the Marche
province, would also terminate his profession, extorted a promise from
the old maestro to teach the craft to his son or any apprentice in his
workshop and not to construct or repair screens used outside the district
of Fabriano or he would be penalised with a fine of 100 ducats. The craftsman
specialised in wooden screens – known as “modularo” – is a professional
figure of particular importance for the manufacture of handmade paper
sheets. The instrument or utensil that is fashioned by these hands – known
as a form (screen) or module – is made-up of a wooden framework, on which
a dense wire mesh is placed and also a movable wooden frame or deckle.
It must be constructed in order that once it is immersed into the tub
by the worker to extract the paper paste, it may support the load of water
and fibre during the feltration phase without experiencing deformations.
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