Biedermeier Glass
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.
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Glass
Glass
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Glass
Enamel
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Enamel
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Glass
Glass
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Glass
Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Blown Glass
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal, Gold Leaf, Gold, Gold Plate, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Czech Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
Mid-20th Century French Biedermeier Glass
Composition, Metal, Enamel
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Glass
Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Glass
Murano Glass, Art Glass
Late 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Glass
Glass, Art Glass
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal, Pewter
1950s American Vintage Biedermeier Glass
Glass
Mid-20th Century Finnish Biedermeier Glass
Glass
1910s German Vintage Biedermeier Glass
Pewter
Early 1900s Italian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
1890s European Antique Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
1950s German Vintage Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
20th Century Biedermeier Glass
Art Glass
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Glass
Crystal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Blown Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Cut Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Blown Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Glass
Silver