However, Italian furniture was not all imitation: it most certainly had its share of geniuses amongst its makers, such as Gennaro Sarao of Naples, the specialist in tortoise-shell inlay, Pietro Piffetti with his virtuoso handling of tropical woods and engraved ivory, Giuseppe Maggiolini of Milan, whose
late rococo works show all the promise that would come to fruition as his furniture became more neoclassical, or carvers such as Francesco Mongiardini of Genoa or Gennaro di Fiore of Naples, whose outstandingly elegant pier glasses and tables graced the royal palaces of Naples and Madrid.