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.
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Walnut
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paper
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Oak
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1750s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Leather
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Oak, Walnut
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Lacquer
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Paint
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Copper
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Silk
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Silk
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Thread, Velvet, Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Iron, Wrought Iron
18th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Tapestry, Silk, Wool
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paper
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Linen, Walnut
Late 17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rush, Wood
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Paint
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Paint
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Fabric
1910s Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Renaissance Furniture
Paint