$265Sale Price|27% Off
H 10.63 in W 10.63 in D 2.37 in
One on a chariot Medieval Tile Gypsum Cast
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Gypsum cast - medieval tile, from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.
Gesso
Chinese Ming Dynasty Bronze Luan Chariot Bell
Located in Point Richmond, CA
and apertures on all four sides. In ancient China, the first horse-drawn chariots were used for daily
Bronze
Medieval Forged Iron and Hardwood Wagon or Chariot Wheel Coffee Table
Located in Charlevoix, MI
Heavy sturdy wheel dating from the middle ages of European origin. Hand-forged riveted rim with iron cross straps on both sides. The tabletop is 18 inches tall at the edge and a diam...
Wrought Iron
Chinese Ming Dynasty Bronze Luan Chariot Bell
Located in Point Richmond, CA
and apertures on all four sides. In ancient China, the first horse-drawn chariots were used for daily
Bronze
One on a chariot Medieval Tile Gypsum Cast
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Gypsum cast - medieval tile, from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.
Gesso
Late Medieval Forged Iron and Hardwood Wagon or Chariot Wheel
Located in Raalte, NL
Late Medieval chariot wheel made of hardwood with wrought iron bands fastened with wrought iron
Wrought Iron
Medieval Forged Iron and Hardwood Wagon or Chariot Wheel Coffee Table
Located in Charlevoix, MI
Heavy sturdy wheel dating from the middle ages of European origin. Hand-forged riveted rim with iron cross straps on both sides. Resting on a handcrafted contemporary wrought iron ba...
Wrought Iron
Medieval Forged Iron and Hardwood Wagon or Chariot Wheel Coffee Table
Located in Charlevoix, MI
Heavy sturdy wheel dating from the middle ages of European origin. Hand-forged riveted rim with iron cross straps on both sides. Also included is a handsome hand-wrought base, circa ...
Iron
$34,423
H 6.3 in W 15.75 in D 5.91 in
Fossilised Skull of Prehistoric Marine Reptile the Mosasaur, 70Million Years Ago
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Upper Cretaceous, about 70-65 million years ago (Maastrichtian) Morocco The skull is reconstructed in good proportions with fossil pieces found in a phosphate mine in Morocco. I att...
Bone
$989Sale Price|20% Off
H 36 in W 28 in
Fine Large Oil Painting Portrait of the Lady with the Fan Diego Velazquez
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of the Lady with a Fan English School, second half 20th century after Diego Velazquez's (1599-1660) original painting oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas : 36 x 28 inche...
Oil
Canopus Jar "Asmet", 1069 - 664 B.C, Egypt
Located in Girona, Spain
Canopus Jar "Asmet", With certificate of authenticity. 1069 - 664 B.C, Egypt. Good condition. Egyptian culture are "Canopus jars". These were vessels that the ancient Egyptians ...
Alabaster
$274Sale Price|20% Off
H 3.55 in W 2.17 in
And the Angel Said: Fear Not, 1940s Woodcut Print, Framed
By David Jones, CH, CBE
Located in Bournemouth, Dorset
David Jones (1895-1974) ‘And the Angel Said: Fear not’ Woodcut Image: 9.0 x 5.5 cm Frame: 21.0 x 19.5 cm David Jones CH, CBE (1 November 1895 – 28 October 1974) was a Welsh paint...
Woodcut
Edo Period Samurai Suit Of Armor
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exquisite Tetsusabiji Uchidashi Gomai Dou Gusoku (Five-Plate Russet Iron Embossed Cuirass Armor), crafted in the 18th century, exemplifies the pinnacle of Edo-period samurai arm...
Copper, Iron
$61,724
H 21.26 in W 22.84 in
GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF CRISTO MORTO ATTR. G DELLA PORTA, ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Located in Milan, IT
Circle of Guglielmo Della Porta (Porlezza, 1515 circa – Rome 1577) CRISTO MORTO, Italy, mid 16th Century Gilt bronze 54 x 48 cm 21 1/4 x 19 in Provenance: M. Barbagli Private Collec...
Bronze
$343,615
H 100.6 in W 66.93 in D 24.81 in
Rare Moses Michelangelo Guggenheim & Pauly Cie Et Venice Antique Carved Armoire
By Pauly et Cie, Guggenheim Museum
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare one of a kind Pauly CIE Et stamped hand carved walnut armoire made by the genius that was Moses Michelangelo Guggenheim 1837-1910 W...
Walnut
$203,000Sale Price|30% Off
H 136 in Dm 108 in
Exquisite Rotunda Structure Kiosk Copper & Carved Stone Bench Seating Columns
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Exquisite Rotunda Structure Kiosk Copper & Carved Stone Bench Seating Columns . Monumental Exquisite refined work King Charles X Period Rotunda rotundus building structure with a...
Stone, Copper
$208,918Sale Price|24% Off
H 53.125 in W 43.25 in
Portrait of Anne, Lady Russell, later Countess of Bedford
By Anthony van Dyck
Located in London, GB
A three-quarter length portrait of Anne, Lady Russell, later Countess of Bedford (1615-1684), in a blue dress. Attributed to Sir Anthony Van Dyck. Anne Carr, Lady Russell, an estee...
Oil
18th Century French School Portrait of an Actress with Flowers
Located in Beachwood, OH
18th Century French School Portrait of an Actress Oil on canvas 30 x 23 inches 36 x 30 inches, framed
Oil
$15,000
H 24 in W 19 in D 16 in
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Large Marble Sculpture after Canova, 19th C.
By Antonio Canova
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757-1822) Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss Marble 24 x 19 x 16 inches 135 lb. The love affair between Cupid and Psyche is one of the best known classic...
Marble
Art Nouveau Vase, signed by Loetz, 1910
By Loetz Glass
Located in Zurich, CH
The vase by Loetz from around 1910, features white glass with a red overlay and is intricately etched with a rose motif. The leafs of the rose stand out in light pinkish to deep purp...
Glass
$112,442 / set
H 64.18 in W 28.75 in D 0.79 in
Selection of eight restored 19th C Neo-Gothic Stained-Glass Windows
Located in Leuven , BE
The Color Experience: Stained-glass windows “Color is a power which directly influences the soul” (Wassili Kandinsky, Moskou 1866 – Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1944) “Color! What a deep a...
Art Glass, Stained Glass
$87,965Sale Price|20% Off
H 66.93 in W 57.88 in
Double Portrait Oil Painting Brothers George, 2nd Duke Buckingham & Lord Francis
By (After) Anthony Van Dyck
Located in London, GB
Aftrer Anthony VAN DYCK - maybe Studio (1599, Antwerp – 1641, London) Flemish Double Portrait of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1628-1687) & Lord Francis Villiers (1629-164...
Oil
$300,000
H 29.5 in W 33 in D 12 in
Sancai-Glazed Horse with Cut Fur Blanket
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A Chinese, Tang Dynasty, Sancai-glazed, three colors of brown, green and creamy, sculpture of a horse with a cut fur blanket. This Chinese, Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), glazed earthenw...
Earthenware, Glaze
$50,000
H 19.5 in W 14.5 in D 2 in
Gandharan Frieze with Scenes from the Life of Buddha
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A schist stone carving from 2nd/3rd Century Gandhara depicting scenes from the life of Buddha. Provenance: Spink and Sons LTD, 1985.
Stone
The Middle Ages in Europe followed the end of the Roman Empire, and in this time of change, which preceded the Renaissance, furniture was simple and utilitarian, with most homes having only the necessities like chests and benches. Much of medieval furniture, which was often made in oak or walnut, was built for the elite, particularly the emerging merchant class who owned multiple homes.
Life for many in the medieval era was unstable, and furniture was designed to be functional and portable. Peasants worked the fields for affluent landowners and didn’t have access to literature in the way that nobles and people of the church did (women less so than men). The furniture in their modest dwellings was typically limited to cookware and a handful of stools. Foldable chairs, while uncommon in homes of the early Middle Ages and emblematic of wealth, like all other furnishings of the time, allowed for easy transportation of a household. Trestle tables with detachable legs and collapsible beds were designed to be simply moved from place to place.
Medieval blanket chests were among the most important furniture objects and could further serve as tables or even beds. Some ancient traditions were carried forward to build this sturdy furniture, such as turnery. Although the furniture was minimally designed, embellishments like carvings added elegance to the heavy wood pieces. These details sometimes reflected trends in religious art like rose windows.
By the later Middle Ages, storage pieces like chests of drawers were often adorned with high relief carvings, such as geometric and floral motifs. By the 14th and 15th centuries, design had developed to include more involved pieces like cupboards and desks, while benches frequently doubled as chests with hinged seats. Beds also changed in this era from basic boards to four-post designs with large drapes to keep the sleeper warm. These beds and other medieval bedroom furniture were significant status symbols, passed down through families and used as places to conduct business and receive visitors.
Surviving examples of medieval furniture are very rare, yet its distinctive aesthetics influenced later styles like William and Mary and Arts and Crafts.
Find a collection of medieval seating, garden elements, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.