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.
Vienna Imperial Porcelain Coffee Service, 8 People, Prussian Blue & Gold, 1825
By Viennese Imperial Porcelain Manufactory
Located in Vienna, AT
Elegant 19-piece coffee service consisting of a coffee pot, a large milk or hot water pot, a large sugar urn and eight coffee cups with saucers. Large bulbous vessels on stepped stan...
Porcelain
$2,720Sale Price|20% Off
Austrian Biedermeier Table Mirror, Carved Wood & Gilt, Circa 1850
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A very handsome and unusual table top dressing mirror likely made in Austria in the early to mid 19thC. The shield shaped mirror has a gilded...
Wood
Silver 812.5 Biedermeier Lidded Casserole Wooden Stick Radelpunze Vienna 1827
Located in Vienna, AT
Silver 812.5 (= Silver 13 Lot) Biedermeier lidded casserole with wooden stick Vienna / Austria, made 1827 Austrian finest silver item of best manufacturing quality ! Specifications: The casserole is...
Sterling Silver
3 Antique Silver Money Boxes, Piggy Banks, Austria-Hungary & Germany, 19th Cent.
Located in Vienna, AT
Three silver money boxes, two in tankard form with padlocks, one in cuboid form with built-in lock, hinged lids. Dating: 19th Century Material: Silver 13 Lot ('812....
Silver
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 ...
Marble
Marble Mantel Clock with Matching Vases, circa 1830
Located in Greding, DE
A refined neoclassical garniture set comprising a marble mantel clock and two matching vases (20 x 13 x 13 cm). The clock features a vase-shaped body crafted in white marble with dar...
Marble
Writing Casket with Steel-Cut Decoration, Biedermeier, early 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Small writing casket with thuja root veneer and surrounding steel-cut decoration. The casket is lockable and features an interior compartment for an inkwell, blotting sand, and a qui...
Steel
$1,850Sale Price|61% Off
Biedermeier Period Wood and Gilt Clock
Located in Montreal, QC
Austrian Biedermeier period gilt and polychromed wood clock. Chiseled gold Swiss movement, signed: P.Francois a' Nion.
Ormolu
$1,512Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Biedermeier Paperweight, White Lacquer, Austria, 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Rectangular white lacquered paperweight with silver-plated fittings and handle and polychrome city view on cardboard, framed behind glass.
Paper
Biedermeier Chimney Clock with Inlays, circa 1860
Located in Berlin, DE
Rosewood with tendril and thread inserts. Rectangular base with four columns and the clock hung under the architrave. Dial Email. Gold-plated brass bezel and decorated gold compensat...
Beech