Two new medieval furniture books

Two recommended recent books on medieval furniture.

Two very interesting books on medieval furniture have been published during the last three years, which I was able to obtain this month: Le Meuble Medieval - ustensiles et ceramiques de 500 a 1500 by Georges Bernage (Editions Heimdal) and Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale - VIe-XIIIe siecle by Cecile Lagane (Presses Universitaires de Rennes). Both books are written in the French language, which is not exactly my forte, but nowadays with the help of your mobile phone and the translate function reading the text is perfectly doable. 

For Le Meuble Medieval this is not even neccesary, as most of the content of the 192 page book consists of photos. The whole set-up gives off the vibe of the DK 'Eye-witness' books and travel guides, but also of articles in the Moyen Age magazine (published by Heimdal) - to which the author also contributed.

The double-sided lectern in on the left bottom of the page can be found as a low-resolution image without any other information on the internet, but in this book you can find a good-quality picture with the information: The oak tripod lectern was sold by the auction Espace Tajan SVV in Paris in June 2012. The height of the lectern can be regulated with the screw thread of the central column, so the provided height could be a maximum or minimum one. Height 147 cm, length 73 cm, width 73 cm. French, 15th century.

The book starts with the early middle ages (6th century) and then makes a jump into the 11th and 12th century (high middle ages), followed by the 13th, 14th and 15th century (late middle ages). The few page articles are ordered by furniture type, as well as country of origin. Indeed, there are clear stylistic differences and overlaps visible between the different regions of Europe. A small part of the book also gives attention to some other household utensils: candleholders, ceramics, glass and spoons. 

An article on English (15th century) medieval furniture in Le Meuble Medieval.

Many of furniture examples were taken from auction pieces of Sotheby's, Aguttes SVV or Prunier. These unknown examples (to me) would have been otherwise 'hidden' away in forgotten catalogues. For that alone I would already recommend the book. There are a few downsides for this book. Some furniture types are hardly mentioned, such as the common north/mid-German pointed armoires (Giebelschränk). Whereas the number of photos is exceptionally large, the bibliography is very short and mostly concerns manuscript illuminations. 

The armoire of Noyon is featured in both books with many photos, 

but the book by Cecile Lagane also shows its construction scheme.

Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale by Cecile Lagane is a bit harder to digest, but it is a trove of information, especially on furniture of the early medieval times, such as the beds of the Anglo-Saxons, Franks and Vikings. The book connects the surviving examples from the early and full medieval period with descriptions in medieval literature and art. It contains a dictionary of furniture items in different languages (like the Multilingual medieval furniture dictionary posts 1 and post 2), and it is lavisly illustrated with photos and construction schematics as well. The book meticulously covers all aspects of each furniture type, from wood, iron and polychrome colouring to its use. This book contains a large bibliography, in which I already found some other interesting furniture literature. 

Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale is more than just photos (there are 173 in this book), it also contains discussions on the furniture, schematics, and tables listing examples of similar furniture (on this page the Noyon armoire type III).

• Georges Bernage. 2025. Le Meuble Medieval - ustensiles et ceramiques de 500 a 1500. Editions Heimdal, St Martin-des-Entrées, France. ISBN 9782840486312. 192 pages, 39 Euro.
• Cecile Lagane. 2023. Meubles et Ameublements Medievaux en Europe Occidentale - VIe-XIIIe siecle. Serie Archeologie & Culture. Presses Universitaires de Rennes (PUR), Rennes, France. ISBN 9782753593749. 226 pages, 34 Euro.