Renaissance Furniture
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Stone, Limestone
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Walnut
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk
18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Bronze
1880s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Majolica
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Pine
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
1930s Dutch Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Burl
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pottery
Early 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1870s Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Sycamore
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
Late 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Canvas
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Brass, Iron, Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Persian Renaissance Furniture
Wool
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 17th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool
19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Majolica
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Carrara Marble, Steel
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Textile, Wool, Silk
Early 20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Majolica
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wool