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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stone
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1950s Belgian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wool, Cotton
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1860s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas
1920s European Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
1990s North American Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
1990s North American Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
1990s North American Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1980s French Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Lacquer
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1980s North American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Lapis Lazuli, Bronze, Enamel, Other
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stone
Late 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Plaster
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metallic Thread
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Beech
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1880s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Russian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Leather
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
1870s Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
Early 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Metal
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Enamel, Ormolu
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Boxwood
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
Late 19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1870s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Glass
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Onyx, Bronze, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Statuary Marble