The Renaissance is identified with the unique artistic works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci's openness to science. These are two landmarks that provide the complete picture of the period. Despite the strong support the artists received from the church, the period is one of breaking away from church dogma and rediscovering earthly happiness. It is seen as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the pre-industrial modern era, when the arts flourished and the emphasis was on the aesthetic rather than the functional. A period of such notable transformations could not fail to make its mark on furniture, which becomes more ornate and rich, often created to support the architecture of the house.
The Italian Renaissance, the beginning of a flourishing period
The Renaissance started in Italy, in Tuscany, and is linked to the city of Florence. Name renaissance was first used by the painter, architect, writer and historian Giorgio Vasari about Giotto's manner of painting saying that it is a rebirth, i.e. a rebirth. The French historian Jules Michelet takes up the term in his book History of France (1835), using it to describe the cultural changes of the time. Since then, the term has been adopted to define the period of these changes.
The Renaissance movement spans the 15th and 16th centuries and is divided into three distinct periods:
- Early Renaissance, between 1400 and 1500
- Renaissance at its height, 1500-1540
- Late Renaissance, 1540-1600
After a period dominated by wars and deprivation, the renaissance came with a new breath, a flourishing period in which crafts developed, the church invested in arts and artists, new trades appeared and a new class, the bourgeoisie, without noble titles, but with wealth and a desire for wealth. Austerity Gothic style is gradually replaced by an architecture rich in Roman and Greek-influenced ornamentation, richly painted walls and ceilings, carved and inlaid furniture.
From Italy the style spread throughout Europe, first to France, then to England, Holland, Spain and the Germanic countries. While initially the style is very similar to the Italian one, gradually each country contributes to the development of the style, with specific styles such as the Dutch or Flemish renaissance emerging. Influences can also be seen in furniture.
Revolutionary changes in furniture
Until the Renaissance movement, furniture focused on functionality, was quite small in number of pieces and was mostly found in royal palaces or those of the nobility. Italian Renaissance craftsmen came up with new, richly decorated and ornate pieces. Representative of this are the highly carved fronted pottery cabinets, the square tables on large turned legs, the high chairs with square seats and turned legs, the decorated dowry chests that became pieces of furniture (caisson) highly decorated, Roman-inspired cross-legged chairs (Dante or Savonarola), canopy beds.
Cassone - the marriage chest - becomes one of the most desirable pieces of furniture, even if it was expensive. They were in the form of a sarcophagus or rectangular box, and were all the more ornate the wealthier the owner. Originally, their purpose was to store the dowry of the bridegroom, but gradually they became pieces of furniture or simply decoration.
And the Dante chair, despite its simplicity, was decorated according to the owner's social position. While originally the backrest was simple and the seat was made of leather, towards the end of the 16th century the backrest and seat began to be upholstered with valuable materials such as silk, tapestries and leather. There were both fixed and folding versions, Dantesque being a fixed, armrest option for the wealthy
Pieces of furniture were decorated with carvings similar to the scenes painted on ceilings and walls, with masks, human figures, gargoyles, lions' heads, mules, pilasters or caryatids, and they rested on lions' paws. Wealthy families put their coat of arms or crest on furniture. Sometimes they were painted or gilded, and tabletops may have been made of marble. Around the same time, in Italy, the intarsia whereby pieces of wood of different colours and essences were inlaid into the wooden table top to give it a mosaic look.
Types of wood used
Italy, oak specific to the Gothic period was replaced by walnut wood, more precious and noble, it became the wood of the period. France and other countries took up the idea, except England, which continued to use mainly oak for furniture. In the Netherlands, in addition to walnut and oak, they used wagons brought from the colonies. In Italy, cypress was also used to build chests. Also used in Italy chestnut wood.
The wood was inlaid with ivory, precious stones, gold, marble or other precious materials. It was richly carved and gilding was used to highlight the carving. Special inlaid designs adorned tabletops.
The Renaissance movement was perhaps the most important cultural movement of the second millennium. The changes came from all directions, spread across Europe and the East, and transformed the way we look at art and life. In addition to the flourishing of arts and crafts, furniture became more present in homes, sometimes as decorative objects. Italian craftsmen introduced new techniques for making pieces of furniture that were taken up and perfected. Some specific elements coexisted with those of other styles in the 17th century, and in the 19th century the style experienced a revival with the advent of Neo-Renaissance.
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Is this kind of furniture still made, or just museum objects?
It doesn't exactly follow Renaissance models, but heavy, carved walnut furniture with lion's paws is made. Such factories are mainly in the north-western quarter of the country, and the customers are mainly countries in the former Soviet area and Arab countries. The difference is that the carving is done on CNCs; carving workshops in factories are very rare.