Renaissance Furniture
Spanning an era of cultural rebirth in Europe that harkened back to antiquity, the Renaissance was a time of change in design. From the late 1400s to the early 1600s, Rome, Venice and Florence emerged as artistic centers through the expansion of global trade and a humanist belief in the arts being central to society. Antique Renaissance furniture was ornately carved from sturdy woods like walnut, its details standing out against the tapestries and stained glass adorning the walls.
Renaissance chests, which were frequently commissioned for marriages, were often decorated with gilding or painted elements. Those that were known as cassoni were crafted in shapes based on classical sarcophagi. As opposed to the medieval era, when furniture was pared down to the necessities, a wide range of Renaissance chairs, tables and cabinets were created for the home, and the designs regularly referenced ancient Rome.
Large torchères of the Renaissance era that were used as floor lamps were inspired by classical candelabras, while marble surfaces evoked frescoes. The inlaid boxes being imported from the Middle East informed the intarsia technique, which involved varying hues of wood in mosaic-like patterns, such as those by architect Giuliano da Maiano in the Florence Cathedral.
Tapestry-woven cushion covers accented the variety of Renaissance seating — from conversation to study chairs — while bookcases for secular use reflected the migration of culture and knowledge from the church into the home. The aesthetics of the Italian Renaissance later spread to France through the publishing of work by renowned designers, including Hugues Sambin and Jacques Androuet du Cerceau. Centuries later, the 19th-century Renaissance Revival would see a return to this influential style.
Find a collection of antique Renaissance case pieces, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Concrete, Steel
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Cotton, Silk
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stucco
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Iron
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Porcelain, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1870s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Other
2010s Romanian Renaissance Furniture
Other
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
Late 20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
1890s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1870s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1870s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1920s German Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Paint
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ebony
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Carrara Marble
15th Century and Earlier Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Boxwood
18th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1870s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Wrought Iron
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gesso, Wood