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.
Mid-17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pine
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
17th Century Indian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ivory
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Other
Mid-17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
17th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Early 18th Century British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1650s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Mid-17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rosewood
Early 18th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Early 1600s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ivory
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stone
Late 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
17th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1770s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Plaster
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
Mid-18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Carrara Marble, Steel
1720s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Late 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ebony, Oak