Biedermeier Period Collection
Biedermeier furniture represents 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 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 pieces offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
19th Century Swedish Karl Johan Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birch, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Danish Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birch
19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Mahogany
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Walnut
1810s German Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Fruitwood
1850s Swedish Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Fabric, Birch
19th Century Irish Regency Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
Early 20th Century French Louis XIV Biedermeier Period Collection
Walnut
19th Century European Regency Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Silk, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birch
1920s European Art Deco Vintage Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
19th Century English William IV Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood, Leather, Upholstery
19th Century British Victorian Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birch
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