Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
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.
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Crystal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Blown Glass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Sterling Silver
20th Century Persian Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Wood, Teak
1920s English Vintage Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Crystal
1970s Mexican Vintage Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Terracotta
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Porcelain
1950s German Vintage Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Terracotta
1880s English Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Silver
Mid-18th Century Chinese Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Porcelain
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Nutwood
Mid-20th Century Czech Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Crystal
20th Century Danish Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Porcelain
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bowls and Baskets
Tôle