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.
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut, Pine
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Palisander
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Palisander
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
1910s French Vintage Biedermeier Vitrines
Oak
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Iron
1880s Polish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood, Beech
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Poplar
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cut Glass, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Nutwood, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Brass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood, Cherry
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Maple
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry, Ebony, Yew
20th Century German Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Cherry, Ebony
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Glass, Softwood, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany, Softwood, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Elm
20th Century Biedermeier Vitrines
Pine, Wood, Beech, Birdseye Maple
Mid-17th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Walnut
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Vitrines
Birdseye Maple, Mirror, Wood, Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch, Pine, Nutwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Mahogany
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Vitrines
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Marble
20th Century Biedermeier Vitrines
Birdseye Maple, Wood, Beech, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Fruitwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Vitrines
Cherry, Wood