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 Austrian Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birch
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Fruitwood
19th Century Swedish Karl Johan Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Fir
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Cherry, Walnut
19th Century European Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Ebony, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Period Collection
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Period Collection
Oak
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Brass
2010s American Modern Biedermeier Period Collection
Cane, Oak
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Biedermeier Period Collection
Rosewood
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Mahogany
1960s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Period Collection
Teak
Late 20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Biedermeier Period Collection
Iron
1960s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Biedermeier Period Collection
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Biedermeier Period Collection
Glass, Walnut, Plywood, Bentwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Biedermeier Period Collection
Goatskin
1890s British Sheraton Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Glass, Wood
19th Century European Biedermeier Antique Biedermeier Period Collection
Mahogany