Biedermeier Vitrines
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.
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Pine, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Metal, Brass
2010s American Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Pine
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry, Ebony, Yew
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Nutwood, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
20th Century American Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Fruitwood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Cherry, Ebony
1880s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Softwood, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch, Pine, Nutwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Palisander
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Palisander
Mid-17th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany, Softwood, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood, Beech, Birdseye Maple, Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
20th Century Biedermeier Vitrines
Pine, Wood, Beech, Birdseye Maple
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Poplar
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Elm
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Iron
20th Century German Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood, Beech
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood