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.
1790s Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metallic Thread
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Paint
17th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silver
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
18th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk, Velvet
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Pine, Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
Early 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
1790s Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
16th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gold, Silver, Copper
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paint
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
Late 18th Century Unknown Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Wood
18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware, Clay, Maiolica
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metallic Thread
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silk
Late 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Paint
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Sandstone
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Iron
1680s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-18th Century Swiss Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze