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.
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Plaster, Wood, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Pine
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Silk
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1890s Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Onyx
1750s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Silk
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Metal, Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Paper
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
1920s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1950s Belgian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Cotton
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ebony, Satinwood, Burl
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
1920s European Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Persian Renaissance Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Beech
1930s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Beech, Birch, Birdseye Maple, Walnut, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
Late 20th Century American Renaissance Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Lacquer
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
18th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Paper
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stained Glass, Oak
2010s Indonesian Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
Late 17th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool