Painter and ceramist Galileo Chini apprenticed with his uncle, Dario Chini, a decorator and restorer, and attended the Scuole Professionali d'Arte di Santa Croce a Firenze. In 1897, he founded a small factory, L'Arte della Ceramica, in Florence with partner Vittoria Giunta. Inspired by early tin-glazed earthenware, the work of oriental potters, and paintings by Gustav Klimt, Chini specialized in stoneware vases with luster decoration in rich colors. Despite the fact that L'Arte della Ceramica was a small factory with limited capacity, Chini made high quality pieces that had a profound effect on the style of Italian ceramics. [Source: Jason Jacques]