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
Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Sandstone
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron, Iron
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1630s Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Early 1900s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Sycamore
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Cast Stone
Mid-20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Hardwood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Lapis Lazuli, Bronze, Enamel, Other
1780s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Chestnut, Oak
1720s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
Late 18th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Other
1890s Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
17th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
2010s Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Late 17th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wool
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Bronze
1630s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood