Biedermeier Paintings
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.
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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1960s Brazilian Vintage Biedermeier Paintings
Canvas, Paint
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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Early 19th Century British Antique Biedermeier Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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Mid-20th Century Belgian Biedermeier Paintings
Canvas, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Paintings
Wood, Giltwood
19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
Paint, Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Paintings
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