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 Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Velvet, Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Iron
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Iron
1920s French Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Fruitwood
1830s Czech Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Renaissance Furniture
Wool
1950s French Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wool
1850s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Serpentine
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ash
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Iron
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf
1930s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Onyx, Ormolu
Late 20th Century North American Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Brass, Pewter
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
1920s Danish Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paper
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Furniture
Pewter
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
19th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
Late 17th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Chestnut
19th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Turkish Renaissance Furniture
Wool
15th Century and Earlier French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
1920s Danish Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Fabric, Wood
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1850s Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
19th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
1880s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 1600s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak