Biedermeier Paperweights
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.
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Alpaca, Glass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Paper
1850s Italian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Belgian Black Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Paperweights
Resin
Early 1900s American Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Sterling Silver
1950s French Vintage Biedermeier Paperweights
Glass
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Paperweights
Murano Glass
1880s Italian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Agate, Amethyst, Malachite, Onyx, Marble
20th Century Chinese Biedermeier Paperweights
Glass
1880s Italian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Agate, Amethyst, Malachite, Onyx, Marble
Late 20th Century Irish Biedermeier Paperweights
Art Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Paperweights
Glass
1890s Italian Antique Biedermeier Paperweights
Siena Marble, Porphyry