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 European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Zinc
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
1720s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Art Glass, Mirror, Murano Glass
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Paint
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Early 20th Century Dutch Renaissance Furniture
Oak
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Crystal, Gold
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu, Bronze
1850s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Fruitwood
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Oak
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Late 18th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary British Renaissance Furniture
Paper
1990s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Faience
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pottery
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
1880s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metallic Thread
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1880s German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Plaster, Pine
Early 19th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silver, Other
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Sycamore
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 17th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Steel
17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass