Biedermeier Decorative Objects
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.
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Hardwood
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Bronze, Enamel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Maple, Walnut, Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Walnut
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Sterling Silver
1830s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass, Steel
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Alabaster, Metal, Brass, Enamel
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Czech Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
1870s Italian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Art Glass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ebony, Walnut
1860s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Steel
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Cut Glass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Gold Plate
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Glass, Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Bronze
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Alpaca, Glass
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Crystal
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Silver
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Spruce, Walnut
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Wood
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Glass
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Bronze
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Tin
1830s Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Ash
20th Century Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Leather, Birch
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Mahogany
1870s German Antique Biedermeier Decorative Objects
Leather, Beads