Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
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 German Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Walnut, Pine
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Maple, Ebony
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Lacquer
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Terracotta, Paint
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Pine
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Cast Stone
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Brass, Copper, Iron
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Stone
Late 18th Century French Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Plaster
20th Century French Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Acrylic, Lucite
1970s Asian Vintage Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Bamboo
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Wood, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Birdseye Maple, Lacquer
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Walnut, Pine
20th Century German Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Marble
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Pedestals and Columns
Walnut