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.
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk, Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paper
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1880s American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
1840s Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1880s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas
Early 1900s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pottery
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary British Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Maple, Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Mid-18th Century North American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Tin
1970s American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Resin
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pottery
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Ivory, Felt
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Swiss Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Giltwood, Paint
Early 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Renaissance Furniture
Aluminum
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Early 1800s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Gesso, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Early 18th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Chestnut, Poplar, Walnut, Fir
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Hardwood, Paint
1870s Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak