Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Maple, Oak
Mid-19th Century British Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Ash
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Spruce, Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Mahogany, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1840s Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Maple, Lacquer
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Burl
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Pearwood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Pearwood
20th Century German Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Elm, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Pine, Leather, Maple
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Poplar, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Softwood, Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Birch, Leather
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1820s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Birch
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Maple, Walnut
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Ash, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Maple, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Ash, Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry