Biedermeier Decorative Art
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.
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
Early 18th Century European Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Gesso, Wood, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Mirror, Giltwood
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Wood
1860s British Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Oak
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Decorative Art
Wood
20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Art
Glass, Paper
Late 18th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
1840s English Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Oak, Paper
20th Century Biedermeier Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
Late 18th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
1860s Japanese Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
19th Century Chinese Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Paper
Early 20th Century Japanese Biedermeier Decorative Art
Bamboo, Cedar
20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Art
Metal
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Fruitwood
18th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Decorative Art
Copper