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.
Antique German Biedermeier Gold Snuffbox with Enamel Dresden Elbe View
Located in New York, NY
German Biedermeier gold box, ca 1825. Rectangular with curved corners. Cover hinged; on top oval enamel plaque depicting pre-industrial and prewar Dresden, with a boat sailing on the...
Gold, Enamel
Biedermeier German .800 Silver Snuff Box Domed Lid and Repoussé Pastoral Scenes
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Unusual 19th-century German . 800 Silver Snuff Box with Repoussé Rural Scenes and Fruit Basket Lid A charming and unusually shaped 19th-century German silver snuffbox, expertly craf...
Sterling Silver
Silver snuff box with engraving and hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with engraving and hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Mark: Absent. Weight: 53.32 grams. Dimensions: 8.3cm x 4.5cm. Content: 833/1000. Assay M...
Silver
$525Sale Price|30% Off
H 2.6 in W 0.6 in D 2.6 in
Silver snuff box with friezes and floral-engraved hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with friezes on the surround and floral motifs engraved on the hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: Porto Corôa. Weight: 43.64 grams. D...
Silver
$455Sale Price|30% Off
H 4.34 in W 0.99 in D 4.34 in
Silver snuff box with embossed designs and hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with embossed designs and hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: English. Brand: Birmingham. Weight: 74.18 grams. Dimensions: 11x2.5cm. Content: 925/1000. A...
Silver
$1,049
H 4.34 in W 11.82 in D 7.88 in
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Casket Birchwood around 1830
Located in Münster, DE
Casket Biedermeier, circa 1830, birch veneer, lockable, small knob handle, interior lined with handmade paper, shellac finish Dimensions: Height 11 cm, Width 30 cm Depth 20 cm
Birch
$795
H 1.75 in W 3.25 in D 2.75 in
Victorian Period Hanau Continental Silver (.800) Snuff Box With Hinged Lid
By Hanau
Located in New York, NY
Victorian Period, Continental Silver (.800) snuff/trinkets box, having a hinged lid, Hanau, Germany, Ca. 1895. Box is decorated with Neoclassical figures. Box measures 3 1/4 inches ...
Sterling Silver
$1,049
H 3.94 in W 11.62 in D 8.08 in
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Casket Nutwood around 1830
Located in Münster, DE
Casket Biedermeier, circa 1830, solid and veneered walnut, mirrored veneer on the lid, inlaid bone key plate, lined interior, shellac finish Dimensions: Height 10 cm, Width 29.5 c...
Walnut
Antique German Biedermeier Footed Silver Sugar Chest or Box
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique German sugar box is composed of .875 silver and dates to circa 1850 in the Biedermeier style. The box sits on ornately crafted feet and features clam shell relief decora...
Silver
$350Sale Price|30% Off
H 2.37 in W 0.63 in D 2.37 in
Silver snuff box with engraved floral motifs and hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with engraved floral motifs and hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Brand: Ram's Head. Weight: 53.55 grams. Dimensions: 6x1.6cm. Content: 850/1...
Silver
$950
H 0.75 in W 3.5 in D 2 in
Antique Snuff Box, German, 800 Fine Silver, Hand Chased with a Smoking Pub Scene
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
A very fine, very heavy .800 fine German silver Snuff Box with a hand chased or cast .800 fine silver lid (the entire box is hallmarked "800" with other maker's marks that were not i...
Silver
$1,100
H 3.25 in W 5 in D 3.5 in
Antique German Dresden Porcelain Box with Delicate Painting, Circa 1860-1870.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique German Dresden Porcelain Box with Delicate Painting, Circa 1860-1870.
Porcelain
$210Sale Price|30% Off
H 2.37 in W 1.66 in D 0.79 in
Silver snuff box with reed-shaped reliefs and a hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with reed-shaped reliefs and a hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Boar's Head. Weight: 32.46 grams. Dimensions: 6x4.2cm. Content: 800/100...
Silver
$308Sale Price|65% Off
H 3.35 in W 2.17 in D 3.35 in
Silver snuff box with floral-engraved lid and fluted casing
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with floral motifs engraved on the lid and fluted casing with hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: Cabeça a fazer. Weight: 122.76 grams...
Silver