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Renaissance Boxes

RENAISSANCE STYLE

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.

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Style: Renaissance
Handmade Papier-mâché Wedding Box - Made in France
Located in Leesburg, VA
Papier-mâché storage box - decorated with hand printed paper with "Roses Pompadour" pattern - inspired by 18th century wedding boxes, used in the past as marriage gifts. Hand-crafte...
Category

2010s French Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Paper

Late 19th Century Bronze Box - Putti - Renaissance Style
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful bronze box, decorated in renaissance style with putti and decorative ornaments. The box is in good condition, key is missing. Beautiful colour and patina. Dimensions: ...
Category

1890s French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Brass, Bronze

Antique Painted Table Coffer, Dated 1915
Located in Dallas, TX
A rather unique painted chest from Europe, this table coffer was commissioned in 1915. The right side (when viewing from the front) is dated, with the numbers flanking a springing ra...
Category

Early 20th Century European Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood, Paint

Italian Rare Antique Miniature Blanket Chest in Poplar
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Rare late 17th century Italian rustic miniature blanket chest in solid poplar wood. This miniature blanket chest is ideal for decorating your home and can be used to store your preci...
Category

Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Poplar

Embriachi workshop marquetry casket - Northern Italy, 15th century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Embriachi workshop marquetry casket Northern Italy, 15th century Alla certosina inlays (bone, stained bone, pewter and wood) H 28.2 x W 18 x D 14 cm This beautiful casket of rectangular form is richly decorated with the characteristic geometric patterns of the Embriachi style. The intricate geometric patterns are fashioned by juxtaposing lighter and darker pieces of wood, (colored) bone, horn and pewter. The lid and base are framed by a broad band of horn. When ivory became scarce in Europe due to disrupted trade routes, bone was substituted. The attention to Symmetry and balance created an harmonious visual effect Enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the casket. The application of geometrical motifs is in Italy known as marquetry ‘alla Certosina’, named after the Certosina Church in Pavia with its famous altarpiece decorated in this way. This is ‘intarsia technique’, a term derived from the Arabic 'tarsi', which means ‘incrustation' recalling ancient mosaics made from various materials. These geometric elements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the caskets but also demonstrate the versatility and skill of the artisans in creating multifaceted works of art. ‘Alla Certosina’ became famous through the Northern Italian Embriachi family who achieved a particularly high standard in working in this technique. Venice in particular was known for the production of these luxurious boxes. The caskets, hexagonal or rectangular, surmounted by a lid decorated in several registers constitute the secular, albeit equally renowned component of the workshop’s production, in addition to mirror frames and various everyday objects. The method of fabrication of those objects was based on two concepts that underlay pre-industrial production: standardization and modularity, thanks to a distribution of skills according to the different phases of fabrication. even the realization of the marquetry motifs (in the form of ingots from which portions of the desired size were cut) were therefore entrusted to various specialized craftsmen, as were the assembly phase. Today better known thanks to the extensive research work recently carried out by Michele Tomasi, this workshop owes its name to its founder and owner, the Florentine Baldassare Ubriachi (or degli Embriachi), a merchant and banker established in the Tuscan capital before he settled in Venice in 1395. Together with sculptor Giovanni di Jacopo, who directed the workshop, from the last years of the fourteenth century, Baldassare oversaw a production that was truly original, and still easily recognizable today, comprising monumental altarpieces and various objects, primarily triptychs and caskets. The precise location of the workshop is unknown, except that it originated in Florence and in ca. 1431 there was apparently a workshop in Venice, in the area of S Luca. They employed local workers specializing in 'certosina' (inlay of stained woods, bone and horn), and the workshop produced items carved in bone (usually horse or ox) with wood and bone marquetry. The geometric decoration of Embriachi caskets reflects the artistic complexity and attention to detail that characterized their work. this inlaid casket is a testament to the skill and artistry of the Embriachi family and serves as a stunning example of the decorative arts of the late Middle Ages. Related Literature : E. Berger, Prunk-Kassetten: Europäischen Meisterwerke aus acht Jahrhunderten / Ornamental Caskets...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Pewter

French 19th Century Renaissance St. Ormolu Jewelry Box, Signed A.B. Paris
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A stunning and highly detailed French 19th century Renaissance st. Ormolu jewelry box, signed A.B. Paris. This beautiful box is raised by four topie...
Category

19th Century French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Ormolu

1970s Incolay Stone Blue and White Rectangular Lidded Box
Located in Farmington Hills, MI
We are very pleased to offer a beautiful decorative box, circa the 1980s. This box is a true masterpiece, boasting the artistry and craftsmanship that Incolay stone...
Category

1970s American Vintage Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Resin

A late 15th century wood inlaid writing casket, Florence, Italy
Located in PARIS, FR
Florence, Italie Late 15th century Dimensions: h. 23 cm, w. 45cm, d. 29 cm Walnut with inlays of different types of stained native wood Rare writing box with intricate decoration of...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Walnut

Pill box big size Florentine Renaissance Sterling Silver Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Large round pillbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fine fire-enamelled engraving in two colours, in Florentine Renaissance style. Diameter cm. 5 cm high. 2. Weight gr. ...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Antique Continental Basalt & Brass Basketweave Box - Possibly Wedgwood
Located in Atlanta, GA
Continental, early 20th century. A antique oval box made of brass and other metals. The box has a basketweave pattern to the exterior and an affixed basalt plaque to the top. The pl...
Category

Early 20th Century British Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Brass

Stunning Embossed Leather on Wooden Box w. Don Quixote & Sancho Panza Sculptures
Located in Lisse, NL
Top quality made and near-antique box depicting Don Quixote, Sancho Panza and also Miguel de Cervantes. Over the years we have had the pleasure of owning and selling some truly beau...
Category

20th Century Spanish Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Iron, Brass

Gilt Bronze Mounted Letter Box in the Style of Edward F. Caldwell & Co.
Located in Dallas, TX
gilt bronze mounted rose velvet letter box with putti flanking an elaborate central shield / cartouche in the style of Edward F. Caldwell & Co, New York. New York, the interior is fi...
Category

19th Century Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Bronze

Snuff Box Perforated Lid, Embossed and Engraved Miniature Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Square snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with perforated lid, embossed and engraved by hand, with fine round miniature diameter cm. 3.8 hand painted in tempera on veg...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Florentine Leather Casket, 16th Century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Florentine leather casket Italy, Tuscany 16th century leather, iron and wood. Very rare boiled leather box incised on a wooden core; iron lock. The central shield is divide...
Category

16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Iron

European Renaissance Style Jewelry Box Steel and Golden Steel Key Blue Velvet
Located in Miami, FL
Middle age Gothic European Renaissance style for the jewelry box in steel with golden parts. We recognize middle age figures all around and on the top of the box and the renaissance architectural...
Category

1960s French Vintage Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Steel

16th Century Bronze and Gilded Copper Box
Located in Brescia, IT
Bronze and gilded copper box, Central Europe, 16th century Dimensions: 13 x 17.2 x 12.2 cm Resting on the ground by means of four spherical feet in...
Category

16th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Copper

Manopan Crank Musical Organ 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Manopan crank musical organ. 19th Century. It is complete but it does not work, it needs to be revised. It has 6 cards with spanish songs of the time. G...
Category

19th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood

Pyx. Carved and Polychrome Wood, Spanish School, 16th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Pyx. Carved and polychrome wood. Spanish school, 16th century. Box with a circular base and a frustoconical body that has a vaulted lid topped with a knob with a molding, it is made of carved wood and preserves traces of gilding on its outer surface and also on the interior (lid and base). In this area it is decorated with some vegetable-themed carvings on the lid and winged angel heads joined by curved textiles reminiscent of garlands on the front of the body. Typologically, the shape of the piece is reminiscent of silver pyxes...
Category

16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Other

Turned, Engraved Openwork Box, Florence, 17th Century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Turned, engraved and openwork box Fruit wood Florence, 17th century Measures: Diameter 11cm Height 4.4cm.  
Category

17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood

Large Gilt-Bronze Mounted Red Velvet Box / Trunk by E.F. Caldwell & Co
Located in New York, NY
A large gilt-bronze mounted red velvet box / trunk by E.F. Caldwell & Co, in the Italian Renaissance style, early 20th century. Very large box can ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Bronze

Highly Decorated Renaissance Style Solid Brass Jewelry Trinket Box
Located in Montreal, QC
Highly decorated Renaissance style Belgium solid brass jewelry trinket box.
Category

Early 1900s Belgian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Brass

17th/18th Century Italian Venetian Marquetry Table Box
Located in Forney, TX
An important early antique Italian Renaissance table box, handcrafted in Northern Italy in the 17th/18th century, cassone chest form, richly inlaid, the top and front panel with fruitwood banding framing...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood, Fruitwood

20th Century Italian Sterling Silver Jewelry Box
Located in VALENZA, IT
Jewelry box in 925 sterling silver. The body of the box is rectangular and shaped which makes its line light and harmonious. The hinged lid is hand-engraved with volutes and Florenti...
Category

1990s Italian Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

18th Century Louis XIII Red Velvet Box
Located in Houston, TX
French Louis XIII chest with red velvet exterior, hand tooled ormolu, lined with woven liseré floral fabric, leather edging and nailhead detail.
Category

18th Century French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Ormolu

Italian 19th Century Renaissance Style Wood Lacquer and Painted Gesso Lidded Box
Located in Firenze, IT
This beautiful 19th century Florentine rectangular lidded box is entirely decorated in the round with all typical Renaissance Italian patterns. The whi...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Gesso, Plaster, Wood

Late 16th Century Jewelry Chest
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Provenance : Jean Gismondi collection, before 1973. This important walnut jewelry chest is outlined with a gilt motif and presents a decor imitating basketry. The lid is topped by...
Category

16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Walnut

Late 19th Century Limoges Enamel Keepsake Box
Located in Paris, FR
Small, rectangular, enamel keepsake box from Limoges. The lid is decorated with a central medallion featuring the profile of an upper-class woman, who was certainly the owner of this...
Category

19th Century French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Enamel

Italian Renaissance Walnut Box
Located in Essex, MA
A dwarf cassone with hinged top with chip carved edge over a paneled case with central keyhole, arcaded carved base.
Category

Late 17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Walnut

17th Century Collect Pot in Iron Beggar Pot Money Box
Located in Diest, Vlaams Brabant
Beggar pot Money box 17th century iron.   
Category

17th Century French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Metal

Italian 19th C. polychromed Wooden Casket.
Located in Esbeek, NL
Italian Renaissance casket. The casket with raised lid all carved with Cherubs on the front and back panel. Original polychrome
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood

Antique Viennese Rock Crystal and Enamelled Silver Toilet Set in Wooden Case
Located in London, GB
In the past, this type of large toilet service would have been an essential luxury for an elite woman. They were used to store makeup, perfume, pins, ribbons and anything else a lady needed to dress for High Society. Placed in a prominent position in a lady’s bedroom, the service would have signified its owner’s wealth and high status. This nine-piece service is of Austro-Hungarian origin, being created in Vienna in the late 19th century. The service includes a double sided table mirror...
Category

Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Rock Crystal, Silver

19th Century Italian Renaissance Walnut Carved Miniature Blanket Chest or Coffer
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Rare and fine quality 19th century Italian Renaissance walnut carved miniature blanket chest or coffer. Fine carving in walnut wood on the fron...
Category

1830s Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Wood

Antique Bronze Decorative Box - Renaissance Style with Mythical Scenes
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful decorative bronze box, decorated in Renaissance style with mythical scenes. The box is in good condition. Beautiful colour and patina. Dimensions: 29 x 16 cm and 13 cm...
Category

1890s Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Bronze

Domed Chagrin Casket
Located in West Chester, PA
Very rare wood, iron and sharkskin domed casket on ball feet. Ornamented with iron strap work and double hasp lock. Silk damask interior. Ex collection of...
Category

Late 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Italian Renaissance Style Lacquered Box
Located in New York, NY
Italian Renaissance-style (19th Century) large black lacquered box with semi precious stones and bronze floral trim
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Bronze

Louis XIV Fruitwood Casket, Attributed to César Bagard
By Cesar Bagard
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Carved overall with arabesques and scrolls, the lid centering a crowned armorial. César Bagard was born in Nancy in 1620. Most of the work known to have been carved by him was comp...
Category

18th Century and Earlier French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Materials

Metal

Louis XIV Fruitwood Casket, Attributed to César Bagard (1620-1707)
By Cesar Bagard
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Finely carved overall with arabesques, birds and scrolls, the top centered by a cartouche. César Bagard was born in Nancy in 1620. Most of the work known to have been carved by him ...
Category

18th Century and Earlier French Antique Renaissance Boxes

Renaissance boxes for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Renaissance boxes for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Renaissance boxes made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original boxes, popular names associated with this style include Edward F. Caldwell & Co., Franco Salimbeni, Arval Argenti Valenza, and Europa Antiques. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $476 and tops out at $192,403 while the average work can sell for $3,032.

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