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 lobes with reserved trefoil detailing. The lower edge has fine dentiled carving and...
Sandstone
Antique Cotswold Limestone Corbel of a Medieval English King
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique Cotswold limestone corbel of a medieval English King, salvaged from the base of an archway in a period building in Oxfordshire.
Stone, Limestone
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
The large Medieval carving features two angel heads with elaborate feathered wings.
Oak
Pair of Antique Oak Corbels / Wall Brackets
Located in Pomona, CA
The heads fall forward in the style of the medieval church carvings.
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 goat, with crossed arms, goats legs and hooves. Originally a corbel or buttress br...
19th Century Victorian Terracotta Model Of A Gothic Font
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A 19th century Victorian terracotta model of a gothic font. An English architectural model of a font in the ecclesiastical style dated to circa 1850. The octagonal design has a repe...
Terracotta
Antique Marble Bust of Venus
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique over life-size bust of Venus. Thanks to her scale, this Neoclassical style handcarved marble sculpture of Venus, Roman goddess of love and beauty, is very striking. Charac...
Marble, Statuary Marble
$61,749
H 88.98 in W 70.87 in D 94.89 in
Renaissance Style Oak Tester 4 Poster Bed Armorial Tapestry Bedspread King Size
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
A vintage king size oak tester or four poster bed in the Renaissance style. Hand carved with Adam & Eve carvings in the headboard, figurative sculptures in the bedposts, three carve...
Oak
Antique Marble Statue of the Sleeping Ariadne
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
This late Georgian antique marble statue is after the antique, depicting a scale fragment of the eminent 2nd century statue ‘Sleeping Ariadne’. Circa 1780, this carved white marble s...
Marble, Statuary Marble
$3,160Sale Price|20% Off
H 39 in W 29.5 in D 11 in
16th Century Period Renaissance Tuscan Walnut Credenzino
Located in Vero Beach, FL
16th Century Period Renaissance Tuscan Walnut Credenzino Italian 16th/17th century Renaissance walnut small Credenza with a rectangular top above a single drawer centered over a s...
Walnut
Antique Jacobean Style Decorative Oak Wall Panel
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A large and impressive late 19th century Jacobean style decorative oak wall hanging panel, handcarved with three ornate arches, neoclassical columns, dentils and geometric patterns t...
Wood, Oak
$2,500
H 18.12 in W 11.03 in D 5.91 in
Gothic Renaissance wooden sculpture: bust of a young Saint or Angel
Located in Norwich, GB
This remarkable, deeply evocative fragment is a hand-carved piece of religious statuary from 16th Century France. It depicts the torso of a serene figure, likely a Saint or Archangel...
Wood
Rare 12th Century Knight’s Templar Sandstone Effigy on Stand
Located in Ottawa, CA
An incredibly rare example of an English Knight’s Templar stone effigy, depicting a bearded crusader or knight with a rendering of his sword next to him, circa 12th Century. English ...
Sandstone
$10,837Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.7 in W 65.36 in D 31.11 in
Antique 16th Century German Dark Brown oak carved Stollentruhe Trunk or Chest
Located in Casteren, NL
This impressive large Stollentruhe, also known as a Stollentroewe, is a large German storage chest crafted around 1580. Its distinctive construction, with massive upright corner post...
Steel
$5,465Sale 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
$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
$24,850Sale Price / set|29% Off
H 58.5 in W 32.5 in D 29 in
Pair of Italian 19th Century Renaissance Style Carved Figural Throne Armchairs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and palatial pair of Italian 19th century renaissance style carved walnut figural throne armchairs. The intricately carved Baroque frames with the backrests depicting a pair o...
Velvet, Walnut
Attic Black-Figured Neck Amphora
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This small but superbly painted Neck Amphora is attributed to the Light-Make Class. It's central scene is decorated with an armored hoplite wearing greaves and a Corinthian helmet. H...
Terracotta
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
Oak and Walnut Tester Bed
Located in New Orleans, LA
This lavish American oak and walnut tester bed exhibits superior craftsmanship and detail. The design is embellished by elaborate carving throughout in a neoclassical motif the inclu...
Silk, Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
$9,500
H 26 in W 32 in D 1.5 in
French 19th C. Barbizon Painting “Sheep in Blizzard” Signed Gustave Courbet
By Gustave Courbet
Located in Vero Beach, FL
French 19th Century Barbizon Painting “Sheep in Blizzard” signed Gustave Courbet. Beautiful and moody painting in oil on wood board. It is signed in the lower left, “Gustave Courb...
Wood
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.