Biedermeier Decorative Objects
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.
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Maple, Walnut
1830s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ash
1830s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Lucite
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Steel
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Bronze
Late 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Maple, Walnut
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
1830s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1860s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
1860s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut, Paint
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
20th Century Italian Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Glass, Opaline Glass, Uranium Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Art Glass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Steel
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1830s Italian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Bronze
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Enamel
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Cherry
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
20th Century Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Leather, Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut, Paint
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood, Rosewood
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ceramic
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Enamel
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1830s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-19th Century Central American Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Alpaca, Glass
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Birch
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1870s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Leather, Beads