Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
1920s European Vintage Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Brass
19th Century Balkan Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Brass
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Wood
20th Century French Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Wood
1910s German Vintage Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Antler
21st Century and Contemporary Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Feathers
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Metal, Silver
Early 20th Century Japanese Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Stone
Early 1900s French Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Fabric
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Metal, Silver
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Wood, Paper
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Iron
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Brass, Iron
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Wood, Paper
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Silver
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Scientific Instruments
Wood