Biedermeier Secretaires
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.
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Maple, Wood
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Maple, Pine
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Bronze
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Softwood, Wood, Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Secretaires
Leather, Wood, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Iron, Brass
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Secretaires
Birdseye Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birdseye Maple
1830s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Pine, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Oak
1820s Baltic Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Pewter
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Mahogany, Softwood
1870s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry, Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Cherry, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Pearwood
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Elm