Biedermeier Desk Accessories
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 German Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Silver
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Silver
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Wood
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Alpaca, Glass
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Paper
1850s Danish Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
20th Century Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Bronze
1920s English Vintage Biedermeier Desk Accessories
1890s French Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Chrome
17th Century European Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 1900s American Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
1950s French Vintage Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Glass
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Walnut, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Silver
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desk Accessories
Silver