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.
"Summer Day", Oil on Canvas by Danish Artist Frederic W. Svendsen (1885-1975)
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A very lovely painting of a Scandinavian manor house interior on a bright summer's day with a period room showing furniture and accessories from the late 1...
Canvas
19th Century Alpine Landscape Oil Painting with Tyrolian Mountain Village
Located in Berghuelen, DE
19th Century Alpine Landscape Oil Painting with Tyrolian Mountain Village The antique oil painting captures the charm of an Alpine landscape, featuring a picturesque Tyrolean mounta...
Canvas, Wood
19th Century Swedish Oil Painting of a Girl by a Fountain
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Swedish Early 19th Century oil painting on metal, representing a young girl curling her hair sitting by a fountain filling up a jug with water beside white lilies. Her dress and cl...
Metal
Framed German Lithographed Portrait of a Noble Lady, German Biedermeier 1860s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An extraordinary Original Lithograph of the a Lady. Signed by Artist. Beautiful hand crafted gilded Biedermeier Frame. We believe it is from the 1860s. Viewable picture size is appr...
Glass, Wood
Biedermeier Picture Clock with Musical Movement, Austria, circa 1825
Located in Incline Village, NV
These painting clocks are very rare, especially containing the music box. Of Austrian manufacture circa 1820-1830, this Biedermeier picture (painting) clock is a naive and charming oil painting on metal, which depicts nine people dressed in colorful period clothes at various activities; a woman with her child and carrying fruit in a basket atop her head, two young lovers, a man in a boat, another man walking with his dog, while still another gentleman leaves the town hall. A woman at the window...
Metal
Elegant 19th-Century Portrait of an Aristocratic Lady Friederike von Preußen
Located in Berlin, DE
This exquisite 19th-century portrait presents an elegant lady of noble bearing, painted with great sensitivity and refined technique. Although it has been associated with Frederike v...
Wood
Romantic 19th-Century Alpine Landscape in Grand Gilt Frame Jakob Joseph Zelger
Located in Berlin, DE
This majestic 19th-century Alpine landscape presents an enchanting view of mountains, water, and idyllic rural life. In the foreground, a serene lakeshore unfolds beneath the shade o...
Wood
Madame Rimsky Hand-Painted Biedermeier Portrait, Late 20th Century
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of a portrait painting titled "Madame Rimsky"
Paint
Antique 19th Century Salon Interior Painting in a Decorative Silvered Frame
Located in Berlin, DE
An evocative 19th century interior painting, depicting the quiet elegance of a living room or salon, rendered with warm tones and fine detail. The composition draws the viewer into a...
Canvas
Framed Engraving Portrait of Miss Chaworth, German Biedermeier Period 1860s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An extraordinary Original Lithograph of the a Lady. Signed by Artist. Beautiful hand crafted gilded Biedermeier Frame. We believe it is from the 1860s. Viewable picture size is approx. 6.13" high and 5.25" wide. A nice addition to any room or library. Information about the artist: It was framed and sold by the Royal Bavarian art...
Glass, Wood
$1,400Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Antique Original Portraits: 19th Century Gentleman and Lady Paintings
Located in Sakskøbing, DK
A pair of original antique oil portraits, dating from around 1870. These 19th century paintings show Baron Adam Franz Bernhard von Hirschberg and his wife Charlotte, Baroness von Hir...
Canvas, Paint, Hardwood
Pair of Biedermeier Miniature Portraits of Gentlemen, 1st Half 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Pair of oval miniature portraits of gentlemen in matching gilt frames. The portraits are executed on oval porcelain plaques with brass mounts. Image size: 5.1 × 3.9 in One sitter is ...
Giltwood, Paint
Mid-19th Century Alpine Oil Painting on Wood – Madonna /Child with Flaming Heart
Located in Hamburg, DE
This remarkable mid-19th century alpine oil painting on wood captures a Madonna and Child in a deeply symbolic composition. The child holds a flaming heart adorned with a crown of th...
Wood
Set of 6 Italian Neapolitan Still Life Paintings, 19th Century Oil on Canvas
By Giovan Battista Ruoppolo
Located in Vigonza, Padua
A cohesive and decorative group of five Italian still-life paintings from the Neapolitan school, dating to the second half of the 19th century. This painting belongs to a cohesive gr...
Canvas
$2,489Sale Price|20% Off
Francois Nicholas Riss (1804-1886) 19th century Biedermeier childrens portrait
Located in Münster, DE
Francois Nicholas Riss (1804-1886) Portrait of a child signed and dated center left, Riss 1829, oil on canvas, partly retouched, stretcher renewed, framed Dimensions: height 62 cm - width 50,5 cm François Nicholas Riss (1804 Moscow-1886 ibid) Born in Russia, he studied painting in Paris...
Canvas
19th Century Oil Painting Attributed after Franz von Defregger, 17.7×15.4 in
Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES
A richly detailed European genre scene oil painting on wooden panel attributed after Franz von Defregger, depicting a lively Alpine interior filled with figures dressed in traditiona...
Wood
Framed German Lithographed Portrait of a Seraphine, German Biedermeier 1860s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
An extraordinary Original Lithograph of the a Lady. Beautiful hand crafted Biedermeier Frame. We believe it is from the 1860s. Viewable picture size is approx. 8.88" high and 6.5" w...
Glass, Wood
19th Century Oil Portrait Painting, Biedermeier Style, Signed, Denmark
Located in Ross, CA
19th century portrait of oil on canvas in gilt frame, made in Denmark. Signed illegibly on the reverse. Painting dimensions: 6.8" x 8.3"
Giltwood, Paint
Belgian Style Woven Tapestry with Flowers and Birds
Located in Queens, NY
Continental Belgian style woven tapestry with bird and floral design with border on 3 sides
Belgian Style Antique Woven Soldier Tapestry
Located in Queens, NY
Belgian style (17/18th Century) vertical figurative woven tapestry depicting a crowd in the distance and two soldiers and a horse in the foreground. Antique condition, fading and we...
c. 1830s Miniature Portrait Attributed to Emanuel Thomas Peter of Austria
By Emanuel Thomas Peter
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1830s miniature portrait attributed to Emanuel Thomas Peter, Austria. Framed portrait of an elegant young woman seated near a window, pastel with white highlight, attributed to...
Paper
19th Century Biedermeier Landscape Painting with Lake and Trees
Located in Berghuelen, DE
19th Century Biedermeier Landscape Painting with Lake and Trees An antique landscape painting in a golden frame depicting a peaceful rural setting with large trees, a small hut, a l...
Canvas, Wood, Paint
$476Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of 4 European Hand Colored Prints of Birds from 1830
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A set of 4 hand colored birds prints, from 1830. By Comte, Achille Joseph (1802-1866), "Keepsake d´histoire naturelle. Description des oiseaux. Suivie d´un exposé de l art de les pr...
Paper
Belgian Style 17th Century Woven Tapestry of Soldiers
Located in Queens, NY
Continental Belgian style (17/18th Century) horizontal tapestry with scene of 2 soldiers and women kneeling and paying hommage Tears in the tapestry. A few rings on the top to hang.
Belgian Style 17th Century Figural Tapestry
Located in Queens, NY
Belgian style (17th/18th Century) horizontal woven antique tapestry of Mytos and Apews kissing with 8 figures looking on. Antique condition, fading and wear, some tears in tapestry
$841Sale Price|35% Off
Early 19th Century, Georgian Portrait Painting, Oil on Board, C.1820s
Located in London, GB
For sale a charming European late 18th, early 19th Century Georgian/Regency era oil on board portrait painting of a youthful person, possibly a scholar, believed to have been painted...
Gesso, Wood, Giltwood
Painting Cattle Carriage on an Alpine Lake, Oil on Canvas 19th century
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Painting Cattle Carriage on an Alpine Lake, Oil on Canvas 19th century A lovely antique oil painting depicting a Tyrolian farmers family which loads their cattle heard onto a boat. The scene is located on an mountain lake in the Alpine landscape. Oil on canvas 1st half of the 19th century. Framed with vintage gilded frame, paint partly with craquelure. This painting will be a highlight in each rural decoration. Alpine oil painting...
Wood, Canvas
Shepherd with Herd in a Victorian Landscape, Oil on Wood, 19th Century
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Shepherd with Herd in a Victorian Landscape, Oil on Wood 19th century An original antique oil painting showing a shepherd with his sheeps and cows resting on a pond. Painted in oi...
Wood
Unknown, Folksy Scenery with Cattles, Goats and Farmer's Wifes, Ca. 1900s
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Oil painting folksy scenery with cattles, goats and farmer's wifes, ca. 1900s A colorful antique oil painting depicting a bavarian farmers family with their cattles and goats. The scene is located beside an mountain lake in the alpine landscape. Oil on canvas late 19th century. Framed with wooden richly handcarved Black Forest frame. Paint partly with craquelure and peeled off (see detail pictures). A great addition to every folksy wall decor. Alpine oil painting...
Canvas, Wood
Vintage Framed Dutch Man in Hat Costume Print
Located in Queens, NY
Vintage Dutch lithograph after Franz Hals of a man in a hat and ruffled collar in a beige mat and rectangular wooden frame.
Antique Flemish Tapestry, The Assassination of Alexander, 17th Century
Located in Queens, NY
Antique Flemish (17th Century) rectangular woven tapestry depicting a tumultuous crowd scene of Greek militia bordered by a dense floral decoration, titled "The Assassination of Alex...
Wood
Hand-Painted Biedermeier Style Masked Ball Painting, Late 20th Century
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of an interior scene painting titled "Masked Ball" showing figures dancing in a ballroom.
Paint
Stormy Sky Tall Ship Seascape, Hand-Painted, Late 20th Century
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of seascape painting "Stormy Sky" showing tall ship under full sail in stormy sea Condition: Good; Wear consistent with age and use
Paint
Dutch School Rembrandt's Mother Portrait
Located in Queens, NY
Dutch School (20th Cent) portrait oil on canvas painting of Rembrandt\'s Mother in an ebonized frame (after Rembrandt van Rijn) (Coruso Collection Roosevelt Hotel)
Canvas
Dutch 19th Century Biedermeier Oil Painting of Interior Scene, Signed
Located in Queens, NY
Continental Dutch (19th Cent) oil painting of an interior scene with a mother and children by an open window (signed: WEILAND)
Paint
Flowering Shrub with Red Blossom, Antique Bertuch Print, circa 1815
Located in Langweer, NL
This antique botanical print comes from the Vienna edition of Bertuch's Bilderbuch and shows a flowering shrub under the heading Pflanzen CLII, with the Vienna mark XVI B 39. The pla...
Paper
Antique Biedermeier Portrait Painting of a Lady in Blue Dress
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Biedermeier Portrait Painting of a Lady in Blue Dress
Wood, Paint
Antique Original Lady Oil Painting: Large 19th Century Portrait
Located in Sakskøbing, DK
An original antique oil portrait painting of a baroness, dating from around 1870. This large 19th century painting comes in its original wooden frame. A timeless piece with age and c...
Canvas, Paint, Hardwood
Dutch Flemish Still Life Painting, Hand-Painted, Late 20th Century
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of a still life painting in a classical style showing servant with bread by table set with game - deer, boar, birds, fish and fruits.
Paint
19th Century Dutch Still Life Oil Painting of Grapes, Peaches, Lobster
Located in Queens, NY
Dutch (19th Century) still life oil painting depicting robust grapes, peaches, plums and lobster on a wood table with shadowed green leaves in a dimly lit, atmospheric composition on...
Paint
Friedrich Schilcher, Biedermeier Portrait of a Young Woman, Vienna 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Portrait of a young woman dressed in a white lace blouse, with a red bow in her dark curly hair. She is placed in front of a diffuse blue background in three quarters view. Oil on ca...
Canvas, Paint
New Zealand Flax with Flower Details, Antique Bertuch Print, circa 1815
Located in Langweer, NL
This antique botanical print from Bertuch's Bilderbuch shows the New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax, with its tall flowering stem and broad striped leaves. The heading reads Pflanzen C...
Paper
Papercut Memorial or Tribute to Mendelssohn with Silhouette
Located in South Paris, ME
Papercut Memorial or Tribute to Mendelssohn with SilhouetteFantastic and very unusual papercut with a silhouette and urn that was meant to either a tribute or a memorial for the Germ...
Hardwood, Paint, Paper
European 19th cent Miniature Tempera Painting Family Portrait
Located in Malmö, SE
Antique early 19th century. (1800 -1820s) framed European Tempera painting on a plate under glass in the original frame. Depiction of a happy family posing. The painting is signed "...
Wood, Paint, Glass
Zoological Original Lithograph Featuring "the Lama" from 1831-35
Located in Hamburg, DE
Transport yourself to the Biedermeier era with this exquisite and rare original lithograph from the book "Neue Bildergalerie der Jugend." Published between 1831 and 1835 by Carl Hell...
Paper
Five Exotic Lizards, Antique Bertuch Print, Vienna, circa 1820
Located in Langweer, NL
This antique lizard print shows five exotic lizards in a landscape format, on an original hand coloured plate from the Vienna edition of Bertuch's Bilderbuch headed Amphibien XLIII, ...
Paper
Whitebeam and Wild Service Tree in Blossom, Antique Bertuch Print, circa 1815
Located in Langweer, NL
This antique botanical print from Bertuch's Bilderbuch shows two European trees of the rose family in blossom, the whitebeam and the wild service tree. The heading reads Pflanzen CXL...
Paper
Norfolk Island Pine Branch and Cone, Antique Bertuch Print, circa 1815
Located in Langweer, NL
This antique botanical print from Bertuch's Bilderbuch shows a branch of the Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria heterophylla, with its cones. The heading reads Pflanzen CXLVIII and the V...
Paper
Genre Painting, Germany 19th century, "Farmers on the Field"
Located in Belmont, MA
19th century genre painting by unknown artist. "Farmers on the Field", oil on canvas with gilt wood frame. In good original condition, the frame shows signs of wear.
Cane
Still Life with Fruits, Oil Painting on Canvas, Germany, 1950s
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Still Life with Fruits, oil painting on canvas, Germany 1950s An impressive Biedermeier style still life painting depicting diverse fruits like plums, grapes or peaches. Painted in ...
Canvas, Wood
$2,720Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Swiss Mechanical Clock Painting, Circa 1820
Located in Vero Beach, FL
19th century Swiss mechanical clock painting circa 1820 This antique and unique clock painting is created in oil on metal circa 1820 in Switzerlan...
Metal
Zoological Original Lithograph Featuring "the gentle cat" from 1831-35
Located in Hamburg, DE
Transport yourself to the Biedermeier era with this exquisite and rare original lithograph from the book "Neue Bildergalerie der Jugend." Published between 1831 and 1835 by Carl Hell...
Paper
Zoological Original Lithograph Featuring a Monkey from 1831-35
Located in Hamburg, DE
Transport yourself to the Biedermeier era with this exquisite and rare original lithograph from the book "Neue Bildergalerie der Jugend." Published between 1831 and 1835 by Carl Hell...
Paper
$309Sale Price|28% Off
Colored, Framed Copper Engraving "Fuhrwerk II" Published by Winkelmann and Sons
Located in Hamburg, DE
Hand coloured, framed copper engraving "Fuhrwerk II" published by Winkelmann and Sons in Berlin in the mid-19th century. The print shows the vehicles of that time, four different ca...
Paper
19th Century Biedermeier Genre Painting “The Surprise" Oil on Tin Original Frame
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Mid-19th Century Biedermeier Genre Painting “The Surprise,” Oil on Tin A charming mid-19th-century Continental genre painting, likely German or Austrian, executed in oil on tin and ...
Tin
$1,250Sale Price|50% Off
Pastel Portrait of Biedermeier Gentleman, Early 19th Century, Framed
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A very well executed early 19th century pastel portrait of a gentleman sitting at his desk. He is portrayed from the waist up, his left hand holding a book...
Paper
Antique Biedermeier Portrait Painting of a Biedermeier
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Biedermeier Portrait Painting of a Biedermeier
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century Oil Painting French Family Portrait
Located in 263-0031, JP
The term “Biedermeier” was first wielded as mildly disparaging designation for the bourgeois domesticity, so idealized by German society in the post-Napoleonic era prior to the 1848 ...
Canvas
Biedermeier Mahogany Pier Mirror with Console, Northern Germany, circa 1830
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier pier mirror with matching wall console. The mirror is veneered in mahogany and framed with delicate maple stringing. The demi-lune console features a single door enclosi...
Glass, Mahogany, Maple
Whip Scorpion, Tarantula and Red Mite, Antique Bertuch Print, circa 1820
Located in Langweer, NL
This hand coloured copper engraving of exotic arachnids, with whip scorpions, a hairy tarantula type spider, a long legged harvestman, a red mite and a banded spider, comes from the ...
Paper