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.
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Early 17th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Boxwood
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Spanish Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
1870s French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
16th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gesso, Wood
1790s Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paper
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century French Renaissance Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Bronze, Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Terracotta
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Stucco
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Metal
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Limestone
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Spanish Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Mirror, Oak
16th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Nutwood
19th Century British Antique Renaissance Furniture
Pewter
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Metal
17th Century Greek Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
1850s Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
16th Century German Antique Renaissance Furniture
Gesso, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Oak
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Iron
2010s American Renaissance Furniture
Paper
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
17th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
Early 20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Renaissance Furniture
Earthenware
Late 19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century European Antique Renaissance Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Renaissance Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Metal, Brass
19th Century Antique Renaissance Furniture
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Renaissance Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Italian Renaissance Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Renaissance Furniture
Paint
1950s Italian Vintage Renaissance Furniture
Gold Leaf