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.
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Porcelain
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Brass
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Ceramic, Earthenware
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
1940s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Renaissance Furniture
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
Late 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pewter
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gesso, Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
Late 20th Century North American Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Italian Renaissance Furniture
Glass
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
17th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 17th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
1930s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Bronze
1870s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1980s French Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Silver Plate
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
15th Century and Earlier Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Wrought Iron
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gesso, Wood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Oak