Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
RENAISSANCE STYLE
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.
to
1
1
2
102
75
68
19
18
15
8
6
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
Style: Renaissance
'The Calydonian Boar' 15th Century Italian Marble Fragment
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A large antique Italian marble fragment depicting a section of the Calydonian Boar Hunt. Likely once forming part of a great carved frieze, this marble fragment is thought to be 600 ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Marble
Antique Oval Marble Relief Carved 20" French Bust of Bearded Gentleman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Oval Marble Relief Carved 20" French Bust of Bearded Gentleman. Item features ornate detailed carving throughout, raised relief bust, identity of gentleman unknown, approx. 3...
Category
1910s Vintage Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Marble
Related Items
19th Century Asian Architectural Fragment
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A 19th century Asian stone architectural fragment. This intriguing sculpture probably had a utilitarian function as a water deposit. As often in China prac...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
Asian Khmer Cambodia Stoned Carved Head Bust of Male Buddhist Buddha Shiva Deity
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully sand stone-carved Asian deity figure / sculpture likely from Cambodia. The detailed head is likely that of the divinity deity Shiva, sometimes referred to as the smiling God-King. The features are clearly reminiscent of the carvings found at both Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom...
Category
19th Century Cambodian Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Sandstone
H 7 in W 4.5 in D 4 in
Densatil Gilt Bronze Caryatid Figure, Tibet, 15th Century
Located in Austin, TX
A heavy and solidly cast, richly gilt, bronze caryatid figure from Densatil Monastery, Central Tibet, early 15th century or earlier.
Cast in the form of two four armed figures standing back to back in tribhanga (thrice bent position) on a lotus platform, this piece would originally have served as a pillar for a larger seated deity...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Tibetan Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
Small Lan Na Gilt Bronze Buddha Head, 15th-16th Century, Thailand
Located in Austin, TX
A fine fragmentary gilt bronze head of the Buddha, Lan Na Kingdom, Chiang Saen style, 15th-16th century, Northern Thailand.
The small head with well ca...
Category
16th Century Thai Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
Thai Sukhothai Cast Bronze Buddha Head, 15th/16th Century, Thailand
Located in Austin, TX
An exquisite Thai cast bronze Buddha head, Sukhothai kingdom, circa 15th century, Thailand.
The Buddha's pleasing face, with its narrow, oval ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
Set of Three 14th or 15th Century Ceramic Fertility Figures from Thailand
Located in Yonkers, NY
A set of three Thai ceramic fertility figures from the 14th or 15th century. Created in Thailand during the 14th or 15th century, this set of petite ...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Ceramic
15th Century Bronze Jain Silver-Inlaid Altarpiece, Northwest India
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This serene Jain altarpiece of the enthroned and unclothed Buddha with numerous attendant figures including elephants is characteristic of Jain bronzes fro...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Indian Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Silver, Bronze
15th century Very special antique Tibetan Buddha statue in Bhumisparsha Mudra
Located in DEVENTER, NL
The early antique bronze Thai Buddha statue is a captivating and historically significant artifact originating from Tibet. Crafted from bronze, this statue stands at 19.6 cm in heigh...
Category
16th Century Thai Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
H 7.72 in W 5.52 in D 3.78 in
Monumental Carved Pair of Marble Foo Dogs from China
Located in Stamford, CT
Great pair of monumental carved marble foo dogs from China. Each statue measures 63 x 26 x 37 and have substantial weight. Salvaged from a New York est...
Category
20th Century Chinese Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Marble
Antique Chinese Carved Hardwood Marble Top Plant Stand, Circa 1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Chinese plant stand offers inset marble top over hardwood base having pierced and carved foliate skirt, raised on cabriole legs ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Marble
15th Century Northern Thai Bronze Buddha Masterpiece w Provenance - 9200
Located in Ukiah, CA
Masterpiece 15th century Northern Thai bronze Buddha. This is the best of the best. Traces of gilding in the crevices of the hair, behind the ears, etcetera. The casting is crisp, the sculpting shows great finesse and depth, the patina is beautiful and complex and desirable, the proportions are classic, and the face as deep and serene and beautiful as any you will find on any Buddha. It is extremely large and is the largest high-end period bronze Buddha from Thailand I have ever had the pleasure of offering at 31 inches tall and in the range of 50 to 60 pounds (most of the clay core scooped out) (Outstanding provenance -from the personal collection of Ali A. Abssi (1934-2020) founder of the Ishtar gate...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
Larger Than Life Terracotta Buddha Bust of Guanyin, Early 20th Century, China
Located in Antwerp, BE
A massive larger than life terracotta buddha bust of Guan Yin,
China, early 20th century.
Broken and restored with wear and tear from enduring exposure to the elements.
Size: 75 cm high.
Weight: 40 kg.
Guanyin, Kwanyin, Guanshiyin or Guanyin Pusa is the Chinese interpretation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (the goddess of comfort and mercy). In addition, she is seen in Taoism as an immortal. The scripture dedicated to her is Dabeizhou. Guanyin is the goddess of compassion and the sea. She is one of the three saints of the western paradise, along with Mahasthamaprapta and Amitabha Buddha; they are worshiped to save departed loved ones from hell and grant them entrance to the western paradise.
Guanyin
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 觀音
Simplified Chinese 观音
Transcriptions
Full Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 觀世音
Simplified Chinese 观世音
Literal meaning "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World"
Transcriptions
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 觀自在
Simplified Chinese 观自在
Literal meaning "Lord who Gazes down on the World"
Transcriptions
Burmese name
Burmese ကွမ်ယင်
IPA [kwàɴ jɪ̀ɴ]
Tibetan name
Tibetan སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet Quan Âm (Quán Âm)
Quán Thế Âm (Quan Thế Âm)
Quán Tự Tại
Chữ Hán 觀音
觀世音
觀自在
Thai name
Thai กวนอิม, พระอวโลกิเตศวรโพธิสัตว์
RTGS Kuan Im, Phra Avalokitesuan
Korean name
Hangul 관음, 관세음, 관자재
Hanja 觀音, 觀世音, 觀自在
Transcriptions
Mongolian name
Mongolian script ᠨᠢᠳᠦ ᠪᠡᠷ
ᠦᠵᠡᠭᠴᠢ
Japanese name
Kanji 観音, 観世音, 観自在
Hiragana かんのん, かんぜおん, かんじざい
Transcriptions
Indonesian name
Indonesian Kwan Im, Kwan She Im, Awalokiteswara
Filipino name
Tagalog Guanyin (ᜄᜓᜀᜈᜌᜒᜈ)
Sanskrit name
Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर (Avalokiteśvara)
Khmer name
Khmer អវលោកិតេស្វរៈ (Avalokitesvarak), អវលោកេស្វរៈ (Avalokesvarak), លោកេស្វរៈ (Lokesvarak)
Hmong name
Hmong Kabyeeb, Niam-Txiv Kabyeeb, Dabpog, Niam-Txiv Dabpog
Guanyin (traditional Chinese: 觀音; simplified Chinese: 观音; pinyin: Guānyīn) is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion.[note 1] She was first given the appellation "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China.[1] Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World."[2] On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated.[3]
Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī.[4] Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity"[5] with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the Pumen chapter of Lotus Sutra and Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra.
Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin, including Shaolin Monastery, Longxing Temple, Puning Temple, Nanhai Guanyin Temple, Dharma Drum Mountain, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Shitennō-ji, Sensō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjūsangen-dō, and many others. Guanyin's abode and bodhimaṇḍa in India is recorded as being on Mount Potalaka. With the localization of the belief in Guanyin, each area adopted their own Potalaka. In Chinese Buddhism, Mount Putuo is considered the bodhimaṇḍa of Guanyin. Naksansa is considered to be the Potalaka of Guanyin in Korea. Japan's Potalaka is located at Fudarakusan-ji. Tibet's Potalaka is the Potala Palace. Vietnam's Potalaka is the Hương Temple.
There are several pilgrimage centers for Guanyin in East Asia. Putuoshan is the main pilgrimage site in China. There is a 33 temple Guanyin pilgrimage in Korea which includes Naksansa. In Japan, there are several pilgrimages associated with Guanyin. The oldest one of them is the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a pilgrimage through 33 temples with Guanyin shrines. Guanyin is beloved by most Buddhist traditions in a nondenominational way and found in most Tibetan temples under the name Chenrézik (Wylie: Spyan ras gzigs). Guanyin is also beloved and worshipped in the temples in Nepal. The Hiranya Varna Mahavihar located in Patan is one example. Guanyin is also found in some influential Theravada temples such as Gangaramaya Temple, Kelaniya and Natha Devale nearby Temple of the Tooth...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Renaissance Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Terracotta
H 30.71 in W 22.84 in D 14.57 in
Renaissance sculptures and carvings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Renaissance sculptures and carvings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Early 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sculptures and carvings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with marble, stone and other materials. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sculptures and carvings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,200 and tops out at $3,200 while the average work can sell for $3,200.