Biedermeier Boxes
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 Boxes
Hardwood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Maple, Walnut, Paint
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Mirror, Birch, Ebony, Maple
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Walnut
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Ebony, Walnut
1860s Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Silver
20th Century Biedermeier Boxes
Leather, Birch
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Silver
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Tin
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Spruce, Walnut
1830s Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Ash
1870s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Leather, Beads
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Leather, Fabric
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Steel
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Wood
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Silver
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Wood
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Silver
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Gold
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Zebra Wood, Satinwood, Amboyna, Yew
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Cherry, Maple, Pearwood, Walnut
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Boxes
Ebony, Walnut, Maple