Medieval Architectural Fragment Cornice, Corbel
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A fragment of a sandstone corbel with flat upper face, moulded transverse ledge and two protruding
Sandstone
Medieval Limestone Figural Corbel with Grotesque Face
Located in Bradenton, FL
Medieval Limestone Figural Corbel. Corbel is carved in high relief with a stylized grotesque face
Limestone
Rare Large 15th Century Renaissance English Oak Roof Angels Corbel.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Rare Large 15th Century Renaissance English Oak Roof Angels Corbel. Truly astonishing rare roof
Oak
Pair of Antique Oak Corbels / Wall Brackets
Located in Pomona, CA
An old and interesting pair of Oak Corbels featuring nicely carved figureheads. The figureheads of
Oak
Medieval Oak Corbel of a Satyr, English, circa 1450-1500
Located in Matlock, Derbyshire
Mid-late 15th century oak corbel bracket of a satyr. The bearded sylvan deity, half man and half
17th Century Stone Capital
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A large 17th century French capital on a associated base. Sculpted front and sides, flat backside. Great to decorate a garden or display indoors.
Sandstone
$33,993
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
$115,331
H 240 in W 552 in D 120 in
Mid-Victorian Moorish wrought & cast iron pergola or decorative garden structure
Located in London, GB
A monumental Moorish mid-Victorian wrought iron Pergola or Decorative Garden Structure, a unique masterpiece in High Victorian Ironwork design. Our research confirms it is French, da...
Wrought Iron
$5,438Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.38 in W 49.61 in D 23.63 in
Antique 17th century English warm brown chest with rich geometric carvings
Located in Casteren, NL
This antique oak chest from the 17th century is a fine example of the rich woodcarving traditions practiced in England and the Low Countries during that era. Built with a solid const...
Oak
$3,516Sale Price|25% Off
H 44.1 in W 21.26 in D 11.82 in
Renaissance Italian sculptor - 16th century carved wood sculpture - Saint Robert
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved wooden sculpture - Saint Robert. Italy, 16th century. 54 x 30 x h 112 cm. Entirely carved and painted wood with traces of polychrome and gilding. - Inscribed on the base: "...
Wood
$5,500
H 37 in W 21.25 in D 3.5 in
Antique Early Romanesque Gothic Architectural Tabernacle Niche Door
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce antique ecclesiastical architectural hand carved and painted wooden church - cathederal tabernacle door. 18th century or earlier, early Medieval European Romanesque Gothic...
Wood
Gothic Canopy, France, 15th Century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Gothic canopy France, 15th century Alabaster, some traces of polychromy 33 x 23 x 20 cm Provenance: - Private collection Genève, Switzerland This masterful, three-sided c...
Alabaster
$187,500
H 102 in W 84.5 in D 22.5 in
Exceptional 19th Century English Chinoiserie Pagoda Display Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
Large-scale 19th century English display cabinet executed in the Chinoiserie tradition. Constructed in carved mahogany and conceived as a tripartite architectural façade, each glazed...
Glass, Mahogany
$162,820
H 90.95 in W 61.03 in D 77.56 in
IMPORTANT BISHOP JAMES STANLEY 1508 KING HENRY VII ENGLiSH OAK TUDOR TESTER BED
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly important, Museum quality, English Tudor King Henry VII Oak tester bed made for an...
Oak
$108,546
H 95.08 in W 69.89 in D 95.28 in
LARGE & IMPORTANT ANTiQUE CIRCA 1600 CHARLES I DOCUMENTED ENGLISH OAK TESTER BED
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly important, Museum quality, extra large framed, Documented English oak Tester bed c...
Oak
Antique Italian Religious Giltwood Reliquary Relief Carved Sculpture
Located in Forney, TX
A rare antique Italian giltwood framed reliquary. 18th/19th century, hand carved giltwood frame housing an exceptional relief carving, depicting Saint Anne teaching the Virgin sculpt...
Bone, Giltwood
$2,531Sale Price|20% Off
H 6.15 in W 23.55 in D 8.67 in
Large Medieval carved frieze - France, 14th-15th century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Gothic Limestone frieze decorated with curly foliage North of France, 14th-15th century 59,8 x 15,6x 22 cm This French Gothic limestone frieze, adorned with curling foliage, stands ...
Limestone
$2,380
H 22.25 in W 15 in D 10 in
An Antique Architectural Carved Stone Fragment From Aragon Spain On Custom Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
An 18th to 19th century carved stone architectural fragment from Aragon, Spain. This antique architectural fragment from Aragon has been hand-carved of stone, featuring a raised shie...
Stone
$14,066Sale Price|20% Off
H 35.44 in W 24.41 in D 3.15 in
Carved Limestone Balustrade, North of France, First Half of the 15th Century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Carved Limestone balustrade. In a modern metal frame. North of France, Ile de France or Normandy. End of the 14th century - first half of the 15th century. Measures: 90 x 62 x 8...
Limestone
$17,600Sale Price|37% Off
H 61 in W 49 in D 18 in
Very Rare and Important 16th C. French Renaissance Cabinet or Dressoir, ca. 1580
By Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Walnut with verde antico marble inlay, with two wholly carved draped female allegorical figures within arched recesses, and a bas-relief on the central door. Rich and heavily carved...
Oak, Walnut
A Chinese mid 18th century Laquered Coromandel screen
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A monumentally scaled and most important Chinese mid 18th century Laquered Coromandel screen. This finely detailed ten panel screen, with its original tempera paint, showcases a coll...
Wood, Lacquer
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.