Renaissance Furniture

A beautiful piece of Italian furniture, dating to the High Renaissance of the 1500s, this walnut credenza has a fascinating intarsia burr façade. The front, which consists of three b...

Introducing an exceptional antique Dutch cabinet that epitomizes 18th-century craftsmanship. Dating back to around 1750, this meticulously crafte...

Hand Made Bespoke Pillow The front panel. 16th Century Italian Silk Velvet Dark blue on a cream silk ground Edged with antique Silver metallic tassel trim and gold metallic braid ...

IMPORTANT LARGE PORTUGUESE ORATORY 17th Century in carved and turned Brazilian rosewood with remains of gilding, glass doors and sides. Interior with painted, polychrome and gold de...

A late 16th Century, refined Italian wall mirror made of hand carved Limewood from an antique villa near Verona, in good condition. The frame is flanked by a pair of intricately carv...

Acquareccia plate Patanazzi workshop Urbino, last quarter of the 16th century It measures diameter 17.12 in; foot diameter 11.53 in; height 1.88 in (43.5 cm; 29.3 cm; 4.8 cm). Weight State of conservation: wear and a few small minimal detachments of enamel, chipping on the raised areas, peeling of enamel at the brim on the back. This large, shallow basin is equipped with a wide and convex well. It is umbonate with a contoured center. The brim, short and flat, is enclosed in a double rounded and barely raised edge. The basin has a flat base without rims; it has a slightly concave center in correspondence to the well. The shape takes inspiration from the basins associated with the metal forged amphora pourers that traditionally adorned the credenza. These were used from the Middle Ages to wash hands during banquets. Two or three people washed their hands in the same basin and it was considered an honor to wash one’s hands with an illustrious person. The decoration is arranged in concentric bands with, in the center of the umbo, an unidentified shield on a blue background: an oval banded in gold with a blue head, a gold star and a field with a burning pitcher. Rings of faux pods separate the center from a series of grotesque motifs of small birds and masks. These go around the basin and are, in fact, faithfully repeated on the brim. The main decoration develops inside the flounce of the basin, which sees alternating symmetrical figures of winged harpies and chimeras. The ornamentation, outlined in orange, green and blue, stands out against the white enamel background. This decorative style, defined since the Renaissance as “grottesche” or “raffaellesche”, refers to the decorations introduced after the discovery of the paintings of the Domus Aurea towards the end of the fifteenth century. The discovery of Nero's palace, buried inside Colle Oppio by damnatio memoriae, occurred by chance when a young Roman, in 1480, fell into a large crack which had opened in the ground on the hill, thus finding himself in a cave with walls covered with painted figures. The great artists present in the papal city, including Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Raffaello, immediately visited these caves. The decorations found there soon became a decorative subject of immense success: the term grotesque , with the meaning of “unusual,” “caricatured,” or “monstrous,” was later commented by Vasari in 1550 as “una spezie di pittura licenziose e ridicole molto”( “a very licentious and ridiculous kind of painting”). The decorations “a grottesche” also widely circulated in ceramic factories, through the use of engravings, variously interpreted according to the creativity of the artists or the requests of the client. Our basin is reflected in similar artifacts produced at the end of the sixteenth century by the factories of the Urbino district. See the series of basins preserved in the main French museums, among which the closest in morphology is that of the Campana collection of the Louvre (Inv. OA1496); this however has a more complex figure decoration, while the decoration of our specimen is sober and with a watercolor style. The style, sure in its execution, approaches decorative results still close to the works produced around the middle of the sixteenth century by the Fontana workshop. The decoration is closely linked to their taste, which later finds its natural outlet, through the work of Antonio, also in the Patanazzi workshop. Studies show the contiguity between the two workshops due to the kinship and collaboration between the masters Orazio Fontana and Antonio Patanazzi, both trained in the workshop of Guido Fontana il Durantino. It is therefore almost natural that their works, often created according to similar typologies and under the aegis of the same commissions, are not always easily distinguishable, so much so that the presence of historiated or “grottesche” works by Orazio is documented and preserved in Antonio Patanazzi's workshop. Given that the studies have always emphasized the collaboration between several hands in the context of the shops, it is known that the most ancient “grottesche” works thus far known, can be dated from 1560, when the Fontana shop created the so-called Servizio Spagnolo (Spanish Service) and how, from that moment on, this ornamentation became one of the most requested by high-ranking clients. We remember the works created for the Granduchi di Toscana, when Flaminio Fontana along with his uncle Orazio supplied ceramics to Florence, and, later, other commissions of considerable importance: those for the service of the Duchi d’Este or for the Messina Farmacia of Roccavaldina, associated with the Patanazzi workshop when, now after 1580, Antonio Patanazzi began to sign his own work. Thus, in our basin, the presence of masks hanging from garlands, a theme of more ancient memory, is associated in the work with more advanced stylistic motifs, such as the hatching of the chimeras and harpies. These are found here on the front with the wings painted in two ornate ways. In addition, the theme of the birds on the edge completes the decoration along the thin brim and can be seen as representing an early style typical of the Urbino district during a period of activity and collaboration between the two workshops. Later, a more “doll-like” decorative choice, typical of the end of the century and the beginning of the seventeenth century, characterized the period of the Patanazzi workshop under the direction of Francesco. Bibliography: Philippe Morel, Il funzionamento simbolico e la critica delle grottesche nella seconda metà del Cinquecento, in: Marcello Fagiolo, (a cura di), Roma e...

Pair of 1700s Italian Wall Decorative Panels, a pair of blue laquer vertical frieze dating back to late 18th century, with a stunning  hand-carved gilded relief  candelabra decoratio...

Renaissance relief depicting two female figures dressed in a chiton Italy, probably Rome, 16th century Marble, wooden frame (provenance label on the back) 28 x 20 x 5 cm This beau...

Rich Renaiscance period half-columns in Belgian Saint-Remy Marble for eclectic interior design. These 2 original antique, 16th century period, columns are mounted on a stand and has ...

Renaissance bronze medallion made by Master IOFF in the mid 15th century, showing the mythological scene of Ariadne on Naxos. Made in the mid-15th ...

A Renaissance Bed Valance Spain or Italy 16th century From a set of bed hangings originally part of the decor from a castle in France A long impressive ...

An exceptional and rare 16th century Venetian textile, richly embroidered with 1.2 kilograms of gold metallic thread on deep red silk velvet. This beautifully preserved fabric exempl...

A fine quality 17th century torchère, or pedestal, with an elegantly turned column and deeply tiered circular base. The top surface is a flat polished disc with a finely carved and g...

Wonderful copper-plate engraving after Jan Luyken Published by Marten Schagen, Amsterdam. 1724 Text on verso The measurement given is the paper size.

Crespina Faenza, last quarter of the 16th century Maiolica painted in two colors, light blue and yellow, on a thick, rich layer of white enamel. It measures 2.24 in (5.7 cm) in height, 6.10 in (15.5 cm) in diameter. lb 0.55 (kg 0.25) State of conservation: mimetic restoration. The small cup has a raised central “umbone”, a perforated brim and a shaped rim. It rests on a high jutting foot. The "crespina" shape, in some inventories is cited as "tacce de frute" (fruit cups). It was particularly appreciated in the Renaissance and has variants based on the formal types and the different sizes. The decoration, made according to the dictates of the “compendiario” style, used few standardized colors: blue and yellow on a thick white and shiny enamel, deliberately chosen as the colour which was most reminiscent of silver. This choice derived from a trend in creative design of the era: the shapes used in the molds were often taken from metal objects. An idea which would last throughout the Renaissance. The work shows, in the middle of the “umbone”, a winged putto stepping forward while playing a long thin trumpet. The depiction of the putto is fully representative of the repertoire of the Faenza workshops of the sixteenth century. Some specimens with this type of decoration have been published in a volume by Carmen Ravanelli Guidotti: there appears the whole productive repertoire of this fundamental moment of transition between the taste for the “istoriato” style and the great simplification of decoration in the “compendiario” period. This style, in its simplicity, however, saw its expression in a rather varied collection of decorative subjects, including old-fashioned busts...

We are delighted to offer for sale this original early 17th century Charles I Wainscot armchair. A good early original piece, hand carved, very naïve but at the time this would ha...

superb chest from the 17th century from the Spanish renaissance from the Pampalune region Chest called 6 plank chest since all the faces are from a sing...

This exceptional iron cast fireback of 750 kg, richly decorated, was made at the end of the Renaissance, around 1624. It bears in its center a shield wit...

Chest. Carved wood, metal. Spanish school, 16th century. Rectangular casket with a flat lid decorated on the outside with a series of figurative reliefs in a symmetrical arrangemen...

This colorful antique "encoignure" was created in Italy, circa 1780. The corner cabinet which can also hang on a wall, depicts a painted biblical scene of the presentation of John the Baptist's head to Salome in front of the temple (Matthew:14) in a Renaissance style. The beheading of Saint John...

An exceptionally rare, late-Renaissance, Florentine, walnut, writing cabinet, scrittoio, escritoire or desk in two parts This striking, writing cabinet has a classical form, ornam...

Healing of the Paralytic. Oil on panel. Castilian School, 16th century. Partially rebuilt. A religious scene set in a prestigious interior, made of two-tone stone, depicting a ser...

An early 17th century painting in oil on canvas from the Spanish School depicting the Lamentation of Christ. In this moving depiction of the Lamentation Christ...

The relief was probably a door of the Sagrario. The piece follows a customary decoration in the tabernacles of the Renaissance and the Baroque. Compare, for example, with the sevente...

An Italian Walnut Octagonal Library Table, 17th Century A small Italian walnut library table with moulded octagonal top and hollow rounded dentil cornice over a panelled square frie...

A Flemish armorial tapestry. Late 16th century, possibly Spanish Woven in wools, depicting the arms of the Abbasid dynasty, combined with those of ...

This rare Renaissance cabinet is richly decorated on the doors and drawers with carvings depicting the four seasons, and on the uprights and the entablature, alternating flower bouquets inlaid with mother of pearl. This is a beautifully conceived piece of furniture, representing a crowned portico with its entablature and cornice. The upper body Articulated separately in a ternary rhythm, as with the lower body, the upper part opens with two carved doors. The doors are framed by both the lateral uprights and the casing. There are cartouches carved into the casing in which mythological figures are depicted with flower bouquets. On the doors: On the right: Spring, a female figure crowned with a wreath of leaves, holding a basket full of flowers. She is wearing necklaces and bracelets on each arm, with drapery discretely wrapped around her body and is standing on a winged putti’s head. On each side are depicted a tree and a village with a steepled church. Above her head floats the three signs of the zodiac corresponding to the season: Aries, Taurus and Gemini. On the left: Summer, a bearded man crowned with ears of corn and bearing armfuls of corn. He is standing on a similar winged putti, flanked by a tree and an ear of corn. The following three signs of the zodiac appear: Cancer, Leo and Virgo. On the uprights and the central casing a number of smaller figures seem to represent virtues and vices that newly wedded couples should aspire to and avoid. On each side, at the bottom of the uprights, there is a dog representing fidelity. Above, a lion embodies power, wisdom, and justice. In between, on the left upright, there is a figure of noncombatant Athena wearing a helmet and holding a spear, an arrow pointing down and in her left hand, a shield, symbol of protective power. On the right upright, the goddess Venus controls the arrow of Cupid. The iconography here acts as a clear reminder of the required virtues that both parts of a young couple need to fulfill: fidelity, power, wisdom and justice. For him, the goddess Athena focuses on the power. Whereas for her, it is Venus who shows how to control Cupid’s arrow. On the central casing at the bottom, by way of contrast, there is a peacock, a symbol of pride and at the top, a monkey representing lust and mischief. In between, a woman holding a chain and a cup full of precious stones while on the floor sits a half empty opened casket. This can be interpreted as a symbol of extravagance. Above, the entablature, decorated with male figures resting on leaking urns, may symbolize the passing of time. They are flanked by two consoles decorated with acanthus leaves and separated by flower bouquets (inlaid with mother of pearl). Finally on top, a cornice acts as a crown for the piece of furniture. The lower body The moulded base stands on four round, flattened feet. Represented on the doors: On the left: Autumn, a stocky, naked man crowned with vine leaves, holding fruits in his right hand and with his left, picking a bunch of grapes from a climbing vine. Standing on a mound, he is surrounded by a vine and a hill, at the foot of which a man presses the grapes in a big vat after the harvest. Above the climbing vine appear the signs of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. On the right: Winter, an elderly man wearing a fur cloak...

This Spanish walnut throne chair with a large wide seat made circa 1700. Made from well carved but simply done walnut the chair is centered on a leather covered seat and back with large antique nail heads...

Last Supper. Oil on panel. Castilian School, 16th century. It has faults. An oil on panel painting depicting a figurative image against a neutral background, with a checkered tile...

Early Arista / border tile made in Toledo. Tile decorated in renaissance with stylized flowers was probably made between 1550 and 1575. Catalogue: La Azulejería Toledana a Través ...

Portable temple custody. Gilded silver, glass. 16th century, possible restorations. Custody made of gilded silver (the finish has been lost in some points) composed of a base, an ax...

Unlike their Italian counterparts who favored painted and inlaid motifs, French ebenistes during the Renaissance utilized elaborate carvings to embellish their furniture. A fantastic...

Rare pastiglia marriage chest North of Italy, Liguria or Piemonte First half of 15th century wood, gesso, partly gilded, form molded and painted 67 x 156 x 63 cm Provenance : Pri...

D. JOSÉ HIGH-BACKED ARMCHAIR 18th Century Portuguese in sucupira wood with carvings, backrest and seat in embossed leather. Period defects It was never restored. Dim.: 139 x 55 x 50 cm

Superb Italian Renaissance bronze mortar with his pestle - 16th century Very beautiful model with AN in its center surmounted by a cross below . The mortar is decorated with several...

Judith with the head of Holofernes, unsigned rectangular cast bronze plaquette, by Andrea Briosco, called Riccio (1470-1532), Judith...

A Spanish Renaissance walnut spice cabinet from circa 1680 with abundant foliage carved décor. This captivating Spanish Renaissance walnut spice cabinet, dating to circa 1680, enchan...

A beautifully decorated 18th century Italian Majolica faience ‘wet’ or syrup albarello/drug jar. Blue and white having a front reserve, blue and white scrolls to body. Beautifully de...

Italy 16th century A liturgical Pax Brede or Osculatorium. The carved wooden board “Kiss of Peace” representing Christ as a man of sorrows. The pax has the shape of an ancient templ...

16th Hand Carved Stone Relief Renaissance Building Façade. Modern Iron Foot

This is an exceptional original drawing by world famous Camillo Procaccini (born in the Renaissance era in 1561 in Parma and died in Milan in 1629,...

A magnificent medieval Renaissance period architectural holy water font lavabo. Born in a Christian church in Continental Europe during the middle ages, likely Italian 16th or 17th century, exquisitely hand-crafted by a highly skilled artisan, with exceptional craftsmanship, ornate and finely detailed, the rare and one of a kind forged bronze and brass upper presenting with gothic shaped palm frond back, domed lid with tall finial decorated in relief, the fountain reservoir is decorated with central mounted Star of Bethlehem four pointed pentagram star embellishment as well as other applied ormolu adornments, a narrow elongated spigot with valve dispenses the holy water below. A later gilt brass stoop catches the water, the nicely styled, demilune shaped wall mounted antique...

Bench rare European carvings 18th century rare Europe. A very rare bench made during 18th century in Europe. A few parts have been restored.  

Spanish Renaissance style (17th Cent) large oak camel top floor trunk with wrought iron trim.

This is an absolutely exquisite rare Cooper-gilt ,silver-gold and three Sterling Silver angels Chalice originated from Augsburg (Germany ) in th...

French Provincial Renaissance style (possibly 17th Century) leather mounted 6 panel screen with a gold background and decorated with painted parrots and foliage.  

Two fragments of Olive Green silk velvet are used to create this small cover / mat, The velvet of Ferronerie design, patterned with stylised Pomegranate motifs and dating from thir...

AFTER A MODEL BY GIAMBOLOGNA (1529–1608)
 Pacing Bull
17th century
 Bronze, on an ebonised wood base H totale 15 x L 11,5 x P 8,2 cm Since antiquity, the bull has been venerated as ...

This elegant single-door cabinet was made in the Southern part of the Netherlands in the late 17th century. It was made in the best quality quarter-sawn oak in the tradition of the Dutch Renaissance during the “Dutch golden age”. The piece is of exceptional quality and was made completely in watered oak...

An extraordinary solid walnut Renaissance period credenza. In remarkable antique condition considering its age (400-500 years). In original condition, (a small (1/3 section) of the t...

Fontainebleau renaissance cabinet bearing the Dodieu’s family coat-of-arms Origin : ILe De France, School of Fontainebleau Period : Second ...

A superbly carved, early 17th century decorative Renaissance walnut wall panel mounted within a carved oak frame, sourced from a private UK collectio...

superb rare Renaissance period table in walnut from France from the 16th century Very beautiful table that can be used as a presentation table or desk since it has a height below th...

A sumptuous pair of seventeenth century Italian walnut chairs, the backs surmounted by carved and gilt finials with red velvet seats and backs, wit...

Fabulous hand carved armchair with Figures carved on each arm post. Detailed and all mortise and tenon construction with wood pegs locking it tightly together. Flat back panel with a...

Beautiful Renaissance wedding chest in chestnut from the late 16th or early 17th century. On the front of the chest are carved the coat of arms of the spouses' families: the one on the left represents a cross patté, the one on the right three towers of a castle. The base is cut into crosspieces with small sculpted patterns, the fittings are original with a hasp lock...

A 17th century Tuscan region Italian Renaissance style walnut credenza. Having two upper drawers, removable interior shelf, and functioning old period lock. In remarkable antique con...

An exceptionally fine example of an early 17th Century Spanish renaissance walnut vargueno / bargueno escritorio writing desk on trestle stand. Sp...

Exceptional Italian Renaissance oratory in walnut and burr walnut from the early 17th century circa 1600. It opens with four drawers in curved burr walnut. It is rare to find a curv...

Rare and valuable ebony-plated domed case with rich gilt bronze decoration and central jasper medallion. Italian Renaissance manufacture from the early 17th century. The production...