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 British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silver, Enamel, Other
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Slovak Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
18th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Porcelain
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Iron
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Iron
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Copper
Early 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
16th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
Mid-20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Brass, Iron
17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Early 2000s Persian Renaissance Furniture
Wool
Early 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Metal
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Faience
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Mid-17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pine
1860s Danish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary British Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Metal
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood