16th Century Furniture

A 16th Century, or earlier, Aubusson tapestry is vibrant and in wonderful antique condition. Its original border is completely intact and designed with florals, foliage, and birds. T...

16th Century Spanish Terracotta Vase Hand made marks around the vase.

A 17th century carved oak four poster bed, with later elements, the headboard depicting the legend of St Veronica who was said to have wiped Christ's brow free of blood on the way to...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile made in Toledo. Azulejo Toledano. Alhambra tile decorated in renaissance mudejar style geometrical design. Probably made between 1550 and 1575. In very g...

Presenting an absolutely stunning 16th century carved Spanish oak writing desk and cabinet, with amazing provenance and historical and literary significance. This desk/cabinet was purchased by a wealthy Dallas family from a French antique auction held at the club room in the Stoneleigh court (hotel), Dallas on Wednesday the 2nd April 1930. (Now the meridian hotel). The auction was titled: “works of art and furnishings of the Chateau de Turique (Nancy) and the Conde-Rougemont home (Touraine). The cover of the catalog also has a seal of a coat of arms. The second page gives a brief description of the auction contents and states that " this exhibition will be presented by M. Fernand M. Adda of Paris France". The desk/cabinet was lot no: 565 and was described in the auction catalog as: "Carved Spanish writing desk and cabinet...... 16th century period....Upper section a cabinet with two doors which are paneled and display a fine carving. The interior is fitted with eight engraved drawers, and a writing tablet is disclosed in the lower portion. Sustained and central arcade of columns. From Fontana Rosa collection. Supported on four turned legs with bulbous feet." Fontana Rosa is a historic garden situated on the avenue Blasco Ibáñez in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, on the French Riviera. The Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibanez (1869-1928) began to build it from 1922 on, and he set up home here with his second wife, Elena, and died there in 1928. Vicente Blasco Ibanez was a journalist, politician and best-selling Spanish novelist in various genres whose most widespread and lasting fame in the English-speaking world is from Hollywood films adapted from his works. The provenance is impeccable, it belonged to Ibanez and was part of his collection at Fontana Rosa when he died in 1928. The auction in which it was first sold in Dallas was in 1930, which makes perfect sense from a 'timeline' point of view. Ibanez is a very important literary figure. Having regard to the fact that this is a writing desk means that in all probability, Ibanez would have 'penned' some of his famous works at this very desk and using the surviving slope/shelf. Fontana Rosa is a historic garden situated on the Avenue Blasco Ibáñez in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, on the French Riviera. The Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1869-1928) began to build it from 1922 on, and he set up home here with his second wife, Elena, and died there in 1928. This garden with Spanish and Menton pottery is found in avenue Blasco Ibanez, near Garavan station, and was created a Historical Monument in 1990. It is also called “Le Jardin des Romanciers” (El Jardín de los Novelistas/The Garden of Novelists), and was frequented by celebrities such as Jean Cocteau. It was the place where Blasco Ibáñez wrote Mare Nostrum, a novel filmed later in 1926. The garden inspired by Andalusian and Arabian-Persian styles contains species such as Ficus macrophylla, Araucaria heterophylla , palm trees, banana trees or scented rosebushes. It is a tribute to Vicente’s favourite writers : Cervantes, Dickens, Shakespeare or Honoré de Balzac, whose busts can be found at the entrance and to whom he dedicated several fountains and rotundas. Its main buildings are a small elevated villa with polychromatic pottery which houses a library and a personal movie projector...

Beautiful weathered oak panel with an wonderful primitive angel figure. On the bottom of this angel you can also see two small eagle heads. France, circa 1550-1650, weathered, small...

An extraordinary Italian Renaissance wooden cabinet from the 1500s awaits the discerning collector. This antique lacquered furniture piece, dating back to the 16th century, showcases...

Ptolemaic map of the Arabian Peninsula based on the 1548 map of Giacomo Gastaldi. It covers nearly all of the peninsula, but does not include the head of the Red Sea. The coastlines ...

Antique Tudor/Elizabethan oak six plank boarded coffer/sword chest, circa 1540. The coffer from the period of King Henry VIII having a hinged lid enclosing a storage area lined with...

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...

Title: Rare 16th Century Woodcut Map of Brabant and the Rhine Valley, circa 1550 Description: This rare and highly decorative early woodcut map depicts the region of Brabant and the...

A large 16th century Venetian cedar. wood Cassone is an exquisite example of the craftsmanship characteristic of the Italian Renaissance period, featuring beautifully detailed scenes dating to circa 1550-1580. Made from cedar wood, the chest has a deep, rich patina. Cedar wood was prized during the Renaissance for its durability and resistance to decay, making it an ideal choice for fine furniture intended to last for generations. In Renaissance Venice, cassoni were a standard part of a bride's dowry among the nobility and wealthy merchant classes. Venice was a thriving trade hub with a population of about 150,000 in the mid-16th century, and the upper classes commissioned these chests . The decoration of the chest is particularly breathtaking. Its surface features intricate figural panels that depict various scenes, which include historical, mythological, and symbolic representations. Among these are 16th century knights, chariots, mythical beasts, and lions. The designs are expertly silhouetted against a recessed ground, giving a three-dimensional quality that enhances their visual impact. The use of punch-work, a decorative technique involving the stamping of the wood with a mesh-like pattern, adds texture and depth to the surfaces. This technique is indicative of the meticulous attention to detail for which artisans in Italy were known during this period. Overall, this Venetian Cassone...

This 16th century hand-carved wooden Virgin Mary polychrome statue comes from a church in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium (Europe), and was bought directly fr...

As soon as 1540 France's second Renaissance is in the making, intimately linked to the rediscovery of the Antique world. The development of the printing and engraving industry allows the spread of artworks and models in many cities and countries. The Italian influence can be perceived in every artistic field. While the French king entrust the most talented Italian artists with major projects such as Il Rosso or Primaticcio in Fontainebleau, French artists also travel to Italy to form themselves to this new style. In Italy they get acquainted with the work of Leo Battista Alberti the first to theorize perspective (De Pictura, 1435-36) and architecture (De re oedificatoria, 1541). Those two publications would have a revolutionary impact on arts. Furniture is marked by the work of the most famous Italian architects of the time as well as French architects. Indeed Philibert de l'Orme competes with Alberti and by the end of his life publishes several treaties including one devoted to a theory of architecture (1567). Unfortunately he would not live to complete the second volume. In this treaty he expresses his interest for mathematical norms applied to architecture, copied from the Antique. His journeys in Italy allowed him to accumulate the most sophisticated references. Jean Bullant, another architect of great talent also theorizes his practice. He establishes rules characterizing Greco-Roman art staying faithful to Vitruvius. Following this new inspiration the structure of furniture evolves. From then on appear columns, capitals, cornices, friezes and architraves. The ornamentation uses this inspiration as well with egg-and-dart, palm leaf and rose adorning the most beautiful pieces. In Lyon, crossroad where meet merchants from everywhere those new experiments are welcomed. Lyon florishing printing industry allows the spreading of models and treaties essential to the artist's work. Thus the first publication of Vitruvius' De Architectura in France would be printed in Lyon in 1532. Artists from Lyon rediscover and familiarize themselves with the Antique knowledge very early. They adopt those new ideas and use them in their own creations. Lyon cabinet-makers re interpret Antique architecture and Italian Renaissance palaces to give their pieces a pure and harmonious architectural structure. Grooved pilasters are particularly favored. They are topped by capitals of diverse orders always respecting the sequencing with simpler ones for the lower levels and the richest ones on the higher levels. As for the ornamentation, one of the great distinctiveness of Lyon workshops remains the architectural perspective illusions, drawing inspiration from Tuscany. True masterpiece of the Second French Renaissance this important cabinet illustrates Lyon workshops' taste for fine Italian architecture inspired by Antiquity. An architectural perspective of great quality is treated in symmetry on each panel. This two-bodied cabinet without recess stands on four rectangular feet. The base comprises a molding, a palm leaf frieze and is bordered by a braid. The lower body is divided by three grooved pilasters with Tuscan capitals framing two door-leaves. The two panels are encircled by a moudled frame with palm leaves. They are finely carved with a decor of fantasized architecture depicting an Italian Renaissance palace erected symmetrically on each side of a grooved pilaster. On the ground floor a door opens through a stilted arch while the stories are opened with mullioned windows, dormers and occuli. Two large pegged-boss cladded pillars support the entablature enriched by a palm leaf frieze upon which stands an arch whose coffered intrados is centred by a rose. Behind this arch a pyramid appears, standing in front of a second facade with a window topped by a broken curvilinear pediment under a cul-de-four with a shell. The checker flooring gives depth to the low-reliefs creating vanishing points structuring the panels and guiding the eye of the observer. A thin laurel braid highlights the belt of the cabinet where are located two drawers. Their facades are adorned by palm leaves in hoops. The upper body is encircled with palm leaves. The same ternary division as in the lower body appears. However, the pilasters are topped by Ionic capitals with volutes and egg-and-dart. The door-leaves are framed with flowers. On the panels the artist has designed another architectural decor. On the foreground open two arches on top of grooved pilasters with rectangular capitals adorned with palm leaves. The arches are enriched with braids and the coffered intrados bears a decor of roses. The spandrels also bear a flower decor. In the background another arcature hosts a fluted grooved column topped with double basket acanthus capital, characteristic of Corinthian order. The triangular pediment is interrupted by a choux bourguignon. A large cornice crowns the cabinet. It stands on pilasters and forms an entablature comprising a palm leaf frieze and an egg-and-dart, triglyph and palm leaf cornice. The cabinet's sides have also been carefully considered. The lower body's panels are enriched with an arch rising above a broken pediment portico hosting a twisted column. Flowers garnish the spandrels. An architectural facade completes the decor. The upper body's panels present two arches supported by a facade opened with dormers and mullioned windows as well as cartouches (one bears the inscription 1580 dating the cabinet) suggesting the interior of an Italian Renaissance palace, confirmed by the chandeliers. The flooring leads our gaze to a second arch with a broken curvilinear pediment where stands a flower vase. This arch opens onto a perspective of another facade along a road. Inside the cabinet, on the lower body door-leaves appear two designs. On the right door is depicted a Crucifixion. Saint Mary and Saint John flank the Christ on the cross. In the bottom part is inscribed « Dure uiator abis nihil haec spectacula curas / Pendenti cum sis unica cura Deo. / Tota suo moriente dolet natura Magistro. / Nil qui solus eras caussa dolenda doles. ». The signature [Christoff Swartz Monachiensis pinx[it] / Ioa[nnes] Sadeler sculp[it]] tells us it was made by Johan Sadeler I (1550-1600) after Christoph Schwartz (1548-1592). This engraving belongs to an ensemble depicting the Passion of Christ Johan Sadeler executed in 1589 after an altar piece painted by Christoph Schwartz for the private chapel of Renée of Loraine, wife of Duke William V of Bavaria. This altar piece made of nine copper panels has been destroyed during the 19th century. The Crucifixion panel once in the centre of the altar piece is the only one that survived and is today kept in Munich's Alte Pinakothek. On the left door appears Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The inscription says : « Signastidomine Servum Tuum. Franciscum. Signis Redemptionis Nostrae ». This Renaissance cabinet with an architectural decor appearing as much in the structure faithful to Antique rules...

A 445-year-old late medieval 16th century heraldic encaustic tile of Flemish origin (unmarked). Made from terracotta and glazed, this 6-inch antique tile is an excellent collector’s ...

An outstanding 16th century Italian (Venetian ) solid walnut and partially polychromed frame. Beautifully hand carved birds and flowers, this style was typical for Venetian time of 1...

Rare Venetian 16th century Italian traveling jewelry chest profusely decorated in Arabesque black and gilt decoration featuring rare specimen stone drawer fronts in a Palladian archi...

An antique Italian pair of Corinthian Capitals from the Renaissance period, hand carved in limestone. Minor fading, scratches due to age. Wear consistent with age and use. Circa 1500...

A beautiful pair of tapestry fragments, hand-woven in Brussels during the 1500s. At roughly 99 inches (over 8 feet) long, the fragments were, originally, vertical borders to a large ...

A Renaissance Bed Valance Spain or Italy 16th century From a set of bed hangings originally part of the decor from a castle in France A long impressive ...

16th Century French Renaissance period fireback with the Arms of France. Coat of arms of the house of Bourbon, an originally French royal house that became a major dynasty in Europe....

This is a Chinese handcrafted porcelain provincial jar or vase, all hand painted in cobalt blue and dating to the Ming period of the early 16th century or possibly earlier. The jar ...

A Renaissance Bed Valance Spain or Italy 16th century From a set of bed hangings originally part of the decor from a castle in France A long impressive ...

An exceptional and rare 16th century wrought iron door knocker, masterfully hand-forged in the early Renaissance tradition. This striking piece of architectural ironwork is distingui...

In Medieval Europe and even more during the early 16th century fantastic beasts could be found in Bestiaries, a literary genre close to poetry. A bestiary used the characteristics of...

Numerous similar octagonal blue and white boxes with Wanli, Jiajing marks are housed in prestigious museum collections. An example in the Tokyo National Museum is featured in Illustr...

A Pair of Chinese Enameled Sancai Glazed Pottery Attendant Figures Representing Dignitaries. Ming Dynasty Period. Circa 1600AD Dimensions; 23 x 5.5 x 5.25 inches (58.4 x 13.7 x 13.3 ...

16th Century Oil Painting of Holy Roman Emperor Frederic III, Antique Religious Oil Painting, Antique Royal King Oil Painting, Hans Burgkmair the older. 16th Century Oil Painting on board of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederic III by circle or school of Hans Burgkmair the older (1473 - 1531). Portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederic III. (1415 – 1493). Oil on wooden panel. Described top right. In later attractive European gilt frame with black & gilt inner decoration, circa 18th Century. Hans Burgkmair was a German woodcut...

Map of India and Southeast Asia from Ptolemaic Geography – 16th Century Woodcut This remarkable hand-colored woodcut map, originally designed according to the geographical knowledge...

A large and heavy (it weighs 109 lbs!) example of a traditional French pharmacy bowl, this bronze mortar with handles is from 1587, as seen on the production date beneath the molded ...

Hand Made Bespoke Pillow Featuring extremely rare Medieval Orphrey Panel from what must have been a very important set of Vestments Dating from 15th Century. Upon antique Aubergi...

English Renaissance (Tudor-16th Century) oak carved linen fold design paneled room with a mantle, overmantle carving and a Pair of spindle design open doo...

Italy / 16th Century / Cabinet / walnut / Renaissance / Antique Rare 16th Century Italian Renaissance cabinet in walnut with hand carved decorations of 3 heads and floral patterns f...

Large Chinese Blue and White "Grape Dish", Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Period, 16th Century Large blue and white "Grape Dish". Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiaj...

A rare 16th Century Italian stone Corinthian half-capital, carved in Ligurian slate, mounted on a simple wrought iron bracket for wall hanging.

It is a very old jar in Japan. This is a pottery called Tokoname ware. Tokoname is a kiln located in Aichi prefecture, Japan. It is said to have originated around the 12th century. A...

These beautiful wall candle holders come from a private castle that was decorated in the style of the Gdansk Baroque. The candlesticks were bought in the 1960s in a Gdansk candlestic...

16th Century Brussels Tapestry great condition beautiful color and design

Antique Tapestry Rug in Wool and Cotton 11'9x9'2 Key Details: Pile: Wool Foundation: Cotton Origin: Tapestry Design: Pictorial Approximate Age: 16th century Quality (KPI): 3...

Antique Burmese bronze Buddha sitting in Mara Vijaya (calling the earth to witness) posture on a base. Age: Burma, Shan Period, 16th Century Size: Height 16.3 C.M. / Width 8.6 C.M. ...

Rape of the Sabine Women, Flanders Tapestry, Late 16th Century - L4m22xh2m35 - No. 1473 Manufacture Des Flandres Epoque: 16th century Style: Haute époque-Renaissance-Louis XIII Condi...

French Bronze Sculpture of Youth Wrangling a Horse by Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746). Best known for his monumental statues of horses, Coustou was the royal sculptor for Louis XIV an...

Tapestries were ubiquitous in the castles and churches of the late medieval and Renaissance eras. At a practical level, they provided a form of insulation and decoration that could be easily transported. In addition, the process of tapestry weaving, where every stitch is placed by hand, enabled the creation of complex figurative images on an enormous scale. This is an excellent example of 16th century Flemish Renaissance Tapestry...

A panel of Cisele Velvet Venetian and dating from second half of 16th century An Ottoman Pomegranate design. The deep pile Magenta silk velvet voided to reveal a gold metallic groun...

"Madonna And Child – Southern Netherlands, Ca. 1470–1525" Carved oak, unpolychromed Height: 24 cm Brabantine workshop (likely Leuven or Brussels) A finely carved devotional statue o...

IMPORTANT AND RARE LITURGICAL PSALTER, Spain, 16th Century (1550-1750) Psalterium iuxta Romanum (Liturgical Psalter according to the Roman Rite) Latin (with Spanish additions), illu...

This detailed engraving depicts the capture of Tournai by the forces of the Duke of Parma in 1581. The scene shows the siege and conquest of the city with meticulous illustrations of...

This is an absolutely outstanding and extremely expressive sculpture of Crucified Jesus Christ in carved polychrome wood, on the background of a 16th century Silk Florentine fine fab...

Elegant oratory or prieu dieu (prayer Kneeler) in walnut and burr walnut from northern Italy circa 1600 Very beautiful Italian Renaissance furniture...

Publisher: Daniel Vervliet and Hendrik Swingen for Jan I Moretus & Jan I van Keerberghen Place / Date: Antwerp, 1599 Biblia sacra. Dat is de geheele heylighe schrifture bed...

A lovely carved sandstone torso of the Buddha, Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), Thailand. Wonderfully simplistic, the only ornamentation this torso displays...

Although when most people hear the word “gargoyle”, they probably envision small, winged creatures with grotesque visages. However, the phrase has a deeper meaning, encompassing any carved head (animal or human) that function as waterspouts. From the Early Renaissance (late 1400’s/early 1500’s), our gargoyle fountain spout features a human-like face with pointed ears, possibly representing a centaur or a satyr. The roughly rectangular block of marble was hand-carved in Arezzo, in the Tuscany region of Italy. All sides except the front of the cream-colored stone have a sawed finish, resulting in a rough texture. The back has been excavated, adding to the character of the gargoyle. A 1 ½” diameter hole has been cut all the way through, forming an open mouth of the gargoyle. The gaping mouth was often a symbol used to conjure images of devouring giants and used to remind people that they are susceptible to certain forces. Our 15th/16th century marble...

A very nicely decorated plate. With rare decoration. Wanli period Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Region of Origin: China Period: 16th century, 17th century Tr...

Last Supper. Oil on panel. Castilian School, 16th century. It has faults. An oil on panel painting depicting a figurative image against a neutral background, with a checkered tile...

This magnificent tapestry was woven in Flanders during the middle of the European Renaissance, in the late 1500s. At this time, Flanders was creating some of the best textiles in the world, and many of the rich wooded scenes with animals and hunting motifs began to appear. Tapestries subjects were thick forests and park lands, hunting scenes filled with deer, birds, exotic animals, and even mythological creatures. These were later referred to as Game Park tapestries...

Early Arista y Cuenca tile made in Toledo. Azulejo Toledano. Alhambra tile decorated in renaissance mudejar style geometrical design. Probably made between 1550 and 1575. In very g...

Belgium / 16th century / wooden sculpted panel / oak / Gothic / Rustic / Antique A panel in oak wood enriched with Gothic graphic carvings. Hand carved in Belgium in the 16th centur...

A large pre-Columbian textile fragment from Inca period in nowadays Peru, circa 15-16th century. The piece consists of three narrower panels woven from fine camelid yarns and were se...

Annamese Blue and White Ceramic Box, Chu Dau kiln, Vietnam, circa 1500. A circular form with flat top, decorated in a stylized floral spray on center, framed by a band of water plant...

Flemish school of the 16th century Allegory of Africa
After The Allegories of the Continents by Maerten de Vos (engraving by Adriaen Collaert)
 Oil on copper
 Inscription: "Giulio Ro...