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Biedermeier Busts

Biedermeier Style

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.

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Style: Biedermeier
Painted Plaster Beethoven Bust
Painted Plaster Beethoven Bust

Painted Plaster Beethoven Bust

Located in Queens, NY

Small painted plaster bust of Beethoven (as is)

Category

19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Busts

Materials

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Continental Bronze Bust of a Mustachioed Dignitary / Military Officer
Continental Bronze Bust of a Mustachioed Dignitary / Military Officer

Continental Bronze Bust of a Mustachioed Dignitary / Military Officer

Located in Queens, NY

Continental German (19/20th Century) bronze bust depicting a dignitary / military officer with prominent mustache, wearing several medals, mounted on a beveled black marble rectangul...

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Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Busts

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Bronze

Portrait Bust of Tsar Nicholas I (1796–1855), Attributed to Fyodor Kowschenkow
Portrait Bust of Tsar Nicholas I (1796–1855), Attributed to Fyodor Kowschenkow

Portrait Bust of Tsar Nicholas I (1796–1855), Attributed to Fyodor Kowschenkow

Located in Greding, DE

Ormolu. Attributed to the Russian sculptor and former serf Fyodor Kowschenkow (1785–1850, St. Petersburg). Kowschenkow portrayed Tsar Alexander I, brother of Nicholas I, in gratitude for his emancipation from serfdom, which brought him into close association with the imperial family. Stylistically, the present bust closely corresponds with those works. Provenance: From the collection of Prince Friedrich Carl Alexander...

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1830s Antique Biedermeier Busts

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Ormolu

Parian Porcelain Wagner Bust
Parian Porcelain Wagner Bust

Parian Porcelain Wagner Bust

Located in Queens, NY

Parian biscuit porcelain bust of Wagner wearing hat

Category

20th Century European Biedermeier Busts

Materials

Porcelain

Marble Bust of Pope Pius IX on a Serpentine Base, Rome, circa 1846/47
Marble Bust of Pope Pius IX on a Serpentine Base, Rome, circa 1846/47

Marble Bust of Pope Pius IX on a Serpentine Base, Rome, circa 1846/47

Located in Greding, DE

Official marble bust of Pope Pius IX (1792–1878), created in Rome around 1846/47, shortly after his election as the 255th pope on June 16, 1846. The bust depicts him at approximately...

Category

1840s Italian Antique Biedermeier Busts

Materials

Marble

German Plaster Bach Bust
German Plaster Bach Bust

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Located in Queens, NY

German white painted plaster bust of Bach

Category

20th Century German Biedermeier Busts

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Continental German Terra-Cotta Mask
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Continental German Terra-Cotta Mask

Located in Queens, NY

Continental German (late 19th Cent) sculpted terra-cotta master mask mold bust of a serene male face displayed on a square black marble base stand (part of a collection)

Category

19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Busts

Materials

Marble

Continental German Terra-Cotta Mask
Continental German Terra-Cotta Mask

Continental German Terra-Cotta Mask

Located in Queens, NY

Continental German (late 19th Cent) sculpted terra-cotta master mask mold of a smiling \"idiot\" face with sleepy eyes displayed on a square black marble base stand (part of a collec...

Category

19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Busts

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Marble

Continental German Terra-Cotta Mash
Continental German Terra-Cotta Mash

Continental German Terra-Cotta Mash

Located in Queens, NY

Continental German (late 19th Cent) sculpted terra-cotta master mask mold of a laughing Grotesque face with a furrowed brow displayed on a square black marble base stand (part of 39 ...

Category

19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Busts

Materials

Marble

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Biedermeier busts for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Biedermeier busts for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee.