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.
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paint
16th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Textile, Wool, Silk
17th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Enamel, Ormolu
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Carrara Marble
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Brass, Iron
1720s Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
1990s North American Renaissance Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Renaissance Furniture
Stone
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century English Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1850s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
1830s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
1990s American Renaissance Furniture
Giltwood
Early 1900s English Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Steel
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Maiolica
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Iron
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Blown Glass
1840s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Plexiglass, Parchment Paper
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
1990s French Renaissance Furniture
Sterling Silver
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
20th Century European Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
2010s Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Ormolu, Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
2010s Indonesian Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
1860s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Enamel, Bronze
Late 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ebony, Oak
1890s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Tapestry, Upholstery, Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood, Paint





