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.
1860s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1690s European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Paper
20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Burl
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
1910s English Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Brass
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Marble
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Late 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ebony, Oak, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Hardwood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stone
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Blown Glass
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Fir
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Wrought Iron
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Sandstone
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Tin
Early 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1880s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Resin, Walnut
17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1930s Dutch Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
20th Century British Renaissance Furniture
Pewter
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Blown Glass
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware, Maiolica
Early 19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut
16th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Copper, Enamel