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.
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Cherry
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Cherry, Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Ebony
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Burl
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Mahogany, Baize
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch, Fir
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Ash
1830s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Secretaires
Wood, Maple, Ash, Mirror