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.
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1690s European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint, Giltwood, Pine
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Mahogany
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
15th Century and Earlier English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
15th Century and Earlier Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paint
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Chestnut
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
17th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1870s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Other
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold, Enamel
Early 19th Century Swiss Antique Renaissance Furniture
Fruitwood, Pine
1850s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1850s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Pewter
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Hardwood, Paint
18th Century Portuguese Antique Renaissance Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Majolica, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Renaissance Furniture
Stone
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Marble
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Walnut
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Walnut
Early 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
1910s English Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Brass
1980s American Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
17th Century Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Tin





