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Biedermeier Bookcases

Biedermeier Style

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.

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Style: Biedermeier
Contemporary Bookcase in Biedermeier Style, Sliding Doors, Made of Cherrywood
Located in Salizzole, IT
Bookcase made of cherrywood with sliding doors and adjustable shelves, in Biedermeier style. Custom made on order, different finishes available and custom sizes. Optionals - Intern...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

Large Biedermeier Library Bookcase, Berlin, 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Large library cabinet with a two-door lower section and a two-door upper section with glazed and arched doors and carved vine decoration in the spandrels. The cornice is profiled sev...
Category

19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

China Closet Biedermeier
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
Every piece of furniture that leaves our workshop from the beginning to the end is subjected to manual renovation, so as to restore its original condition from many years ago. Simpl...
Category

1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Palisander

China Closet Biedermeier
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
Every piece of furniture that leaves our workshop from the beginning to the end is subjected to manual renovation, so as to restore its original condition from many years ago. Simpl...
Category

1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Palisander

Biedermeier Bookcase, Cherry Veneer, South Germany circa 1820
Located in Regensburg, DE
Elegant straight-lined Biedermeier Bookcase or Display Cabinet in cherry veneer from South Germany around 1820. Cherrywood veneered on softwood. The edges of the doors and the strip between the doors are set in ebony. Book-matched cherrywood veneer inlay at the bottom front of the doors. Ebonized corner columns and moldings in the cornice and base. Solid cherry wood square tapered legs. 4 old glass windows...
Category

1820s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Biedermeier Bookcase, Cherry Veneer, South Germany circa 1820
Located in Regensburg, DE
Beautiful, straightlined Biedermeier bookcase or display cabinet in cherry wood veneer from southern Germany around 1820. * Blonde book-matched cherry wood veneered on softwood. * Th...
Category

1820s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Cherry, Ebony, Softwood

Biedermeier Bookcase, circa 1820
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier Bookcase with a two-door base and a two-door top with glazed doors with rhomboid strutting. The cabinet ist veneered in cherry and stands on square feet with ebonised det...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry, Glass

19th Century German Biedermeier Pair of Mahogany Bookcase, Library Cabinets
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique pair of Northern German early Biedermeier bookcases made of shellac polished, partly veneered Mahogany in good condition. The top part of the tall library cabinets are enh...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Metal, Wire

Mid-19th Century Antique Bookcase
Located in Stahnsdorf, DE
Mid-19th Century Bookcase Northern Germany, Ca.1830 Library, Northern Germany 1830 Classic bookcase with a front under a pointed top and three glass sliding doors in the upper part ...
Category

Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Softwood

19th century biedermeier bookcase
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
19th century biedermeier bookcase in very good original condition.
Category

1820s Slovak Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Biedermeier Bookcase, Walnut, Glass, Austria circa 1825
Located in Regensburg, DE
Elegant, unadorned Biedermeier Bookcase in Walnut Solid wood and veneer from Austria circa 1825. Solid walnut body with slanted edges. Ebonized cornice and skirting board. 3 glass wr...
Category

1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Iron

Single Glass Door Solid Cherry Tall Bookcase Cupboard Bottom Compartment MINT!
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Single Glass Door Solid Cherry Tall Bookcase Cupboard Vitrine Display Case Bottom Compartment MINT!
Category

20th Century American Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

French 19th Century Biedermeier Bookcase
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
An early 19th century French Biedermeier polished satinwood bookcase with ebony accents. This attractive open bookcase, circa 1830 in date, has a stunning pair of ebonized columns wi...
Category

19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Mid 19th Century Bookcase, Late Biedermeier, Northern Germany
Located in Greven, DE
Antique bookcase North Germany Mahogany middle 19th century Dimensions: H x W x D: 198 x 138 x 49 cm Description: Front glazed bookcase from the late Biedermeier era circa 1850-18...
Category

Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Biedermeier Bookcase in Mahogany, circa 1820
Located in Greding, DE
Biedermeier bookcase with a straight, multi-profiled cornice and doors with two-thirds glazing including c-shaped bar, each decorated in the centre with a bronze rosette. The cabinet...
Category

1820s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Bronze

China Closet Biedermeier
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
Every piece of furniture that leaves our workshop from the beginning to the end is subjected to manual renovation, so as to restore its original condition from many years ago. Sim...
Category

1880s Polish Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Birch

Vintage Harrods Biedermeier Satin Birch Bookcase 20th Century
Located in London, GB
This is an elegant vintage Biedermeier Revival satin birch collectors bookcase purchased at great expense from Harrods, circa 1980 in date. The top features four glazed bevelled doors, each opens to reveal three adjustable glass shelves. The cabinet is well illuminated with four down lights. The base has four panelled doors opening to cupboards, one fitted with a central shelf and the other with two internal drawers. There is no mistaking its superb quality and very grand design, which is certain to make it a talking point in your home and stand proud in whichever room you choose to display it. Condition: In excellent condition having been cleaned and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 207 x Width 191 x Depth 41 Dimensions in inches: Height 6 foot, 9 inches x Width 6 foot, 3 inches x Depth 1 foot, 4 inches Harrods founder Charles Henry Harrod first established his business in 1824, aged 25. The business was located south of the River Thames in Southwark. The premises were located at 228 Borough High Street. He ran this business, variously listed as a draper, mercer and a haberdasher, certainly until 1831. During 1825 the business was listed as 'Harrod and Wicking, Linen Drapers, Retail', but this partnership was dissolved at the end of that year. His first grocery business appears to be as ‘Harrod & Co.Grocers’ at 163 Upper Whitecross Street, Clerkenwell, E.C.1., in 1832. In 1834 in London's East End, he established a wholesale grocery in Stepney, at 4, Cable Street, with a special interest in tea. In 1849, to escape the vice of the inner city and to capitalise on trade to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in nearby Hyde Park, Harrod took over a small shop in the district of Brompton, on the site of the current store. Beginning in a single room employing two assistants and a messenger boy, Harrod's son Charles Digby Harrod built the business into a thriving retail operation selling medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruit and vegetables. Harrods rapidly expanded, acquired the adjoining buildings, and employed one hundred people by 1880. However, the store's booming fortunes were reversed in early December 1883, when it burnt to the ground. Remarkably, in view of this calamity, Charles Harrod fulfilled all of his commitments to his customers to make Christmas deliveries that year—and made a record profit in the process. In short order, a new building was built on the same site, and soon Harrods extended credit for the first time to its best customers, among them Oscar Wilde,Lillie Langtry, Ellen Terry, Charlie Chaplin, Noël Coward, Gertrude Lawrence...
Category

1980s Vintage Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Biedermeier Bookcase, South Germany, 1820
Located in Belmont, MA
This unique Biedermeier bookcase dates back to around 1820 and comes from Southern Germany. the bookcase has a pretty walnut veneer with two transome glass doors. They are framed by ...
Category

1820s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Antique Biedermeier Austrian Country Secretary Bookcase Desk, Early 19th Century
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Early 19th Century Biedermeier Austrian Country secretary bookcase desk Additional information: Materials: Fruitwood Color: Sienna Peri...
Category

Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Fruitwood

19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Vitrine. Vienna, c. 1825.
Located in Vienna, AT
Hello, We would like to offer you this truly exquisite, early Biedermeier walnut vitrine. The piece was made in Vienna circa 1825. Viennese Biedermeier is distinguished by their sophisticated proportions, rare and refined design and excellent craftsmanship and continue to have a great influence on modern design. The vitrine have beautiful highly figured walnut veneer and gorgeous details with lovely light deep amber color and 200 years old patina. The brass hardware, lock and the key are original. Pieces of such quality as this fine, exceptional Viennese Biedermeier display cabinet are very rare and hard to find. This piece is great for displaying porcelain...
Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cut Glass, Walnut

Biedermeier Armoire, Walnut and Birch Roots Veneer, South Germany, circa 1820
Located in Regensburg, DE
Very elegant two-doored neoclassical Biedermeier armoire from South Germany, circa 1820. Great, balanced design with a beautiful wood composition and ebonized pilaster columns. The front, sides are veneered in a beautifully grained bookmatched walnut wood on softwood. The veneer becomes more vivid and slightly darker to the bottom of the armoire. The pilaster coumns, as well as a strip around the cornice and base are made from birch roots veneer. Some parts like the middle bar, the legs, the pilaster capitels and the added on key escutcheons have been ebonized. All the wood has been greatly refinished with shellac hand polish (French polish). The armoire can be dismantled in the middle for and easier transport. Build up is very quick and easy. It has an old, original lock that can be locked two times with two bars. Inside, there are four new inlay plates added and covered with a black cotton fabric. On the front doors, there are some old damages and cracks, that have been very well covered...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Steel

19th Century Biedermeier Vitrine Cabinet or Bookcase, Nutwood Austria circa 1840
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Beautiful Biedermeier bookcase or display cabinet from the famous period in Vienna around 1840. This fantastic looking 19th Century Austrian vitrine cabinet has been veneered in a very dark nutwood. A perfect sized antique bookcase/ vitrine cabinet offering a large, lockable door showing the still original glass plates, additonally adorned by carved ebonized wooden arches...
Category

Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Nutwood, Spruce

Biedermeier Bookcase, 1810-20, walnut
Located in Belmont, MA
This unique antique Biedermeier library cabinet dates back to the early Biedermeier period 1810-20 and comes from Germany. It features a walnut and mahogany veneer on softwood. The t...
Category

1810s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

20th Century Biedermeier Style Library Cupboard Bookcase
Located in Berlin, DE
Highly significant library cupboard in Biedermeier style. Veneer on solid pinewood. Architectural structured front crested with neo-Gothic elements....
Category

20th Century Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Wood, Pine

19th Century Biedermeier Style Bookcase or Vitrine
Located in Berlin, DE
Biedermeier bookcase or vitrine, circa 1815. Cherry tree on solid partly ebonized. On stepped frame base, high-rectangular corpus, partly blackened. In the front two triple-sectione...
Category

19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Wood, Cherry

19th Century Biedermeier Walnut Display Display Bookcase, Czechia
Located in Horomerice, CZ
19th century Biedermeier display bookcase Completely restored to shellac polish. Material: Walnut Period: 1830 - 1839 Source: Bohemia - Czechia.
Category

1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer

20th Century Biedermeier Style Library Cupboard/Bookcase
Located in Berlin, DE
Library cupboard in Biedermeier style. Black Piano veneer on solid pinewood. Beech ebonized and gilted. Architectural structured front. Wing-doors ad...
Category

20th Century Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Wood, Beech, Pine

Biedermeier Bookcase, South German, circa 1830
Located in Greding, DE
Two-door bookcase on conical legs with rounded corners and two-thirds glazing of the doors, which ends in a segmental arch in the upper area. The interior consists of shelves that ca...
Category

1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Free Standing Biedermeier Book Shelf
Located in New York, NY
A fine free standing Biedermeier shelf. Cherrywood with carved details.   
Category

1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

Pair of Biedermeier Walnut and Ebonized Vitrine Cabinets
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful pair of 19th century Biedermeier walnut and ebonized vitrine or bookcase cabinets.
Category

Mid-17th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Architectural Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Cabinet
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A very rare and elegant Biedermeier cabinet of architectural form. Very simple in design with a fantastic and warm burr-ash veneer, accentuated with ebonized thread inlay, discs and ...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Ash, Fruitwood

Mahogany Bookcase, First Half of the 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Two-doored mahogany bookcase with a straight base and a slightly protruding top, decorated with a carved female head.
Category

19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Flame Mahogany Neoclassical Style Bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
Exceptional 19th century Austrian Biedermeier flame mahogany neoclassical style bookcase. The cabinet has 3 adjustable shelves for books an...
Category

Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

Biedermeier Cabinet Bookcase, Austria, circa 1830
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Outstanding Biedermeier cabinet/ bookcase from the renowed Biedermeier era in Austria around 1830. Veneered in beautiful burr walnut and fine nut wood this slender antique cabinet ...
Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Blown Glass, Fruitwood, Nutwood, Burl

Austrian Biedermeier Bookcase
Located in Hudson, NY
This very fine bookcase is in excellent condition and has great color and style. The book case has four shelves and can work for books or as pictured hear as a display cabinet for ob...
Category

19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

19th Century Biedermeier Corner Cabinet
Located in Belmont, MA
Exceptional early Biedermeier corner cabinet with three open shelves and one drawer. Mahogany veneer with ebonized columns and brass capitals and bases. The cabinet was made in south...
Category

1810s German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Austrian Biedermeier Walnut Ebonized Bookcase
Located in New York, NY
Austrian Biedermeier (Circa 1825) walnut veneer and ebonized trimmed bookcase with demilune 3 drawer commode base and upper section with 2 doors and 4 small drawers.
Category

19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Austrian Biedermeier Cupboard/Bar Cabinet in Cherrywood with Vitrine, c. 1820
Located in Miami, FL
An Austrian Biedermeier cupboard in cherrywood with carved, open fretwork gallery, with ebonized details above crown molding. Arched Gothic style tracery work on interior of glass do...
Category

Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

19th Century Biedermeier Bookcase Display Cabinet Solid Larch , Wax Polished
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Antique Austrian Biedermeier bookcase display cabinet, restored and polished to wax, in solid larch. The glass of the two doors has been removed for the restoration and will be asse...
Category

Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Wood

19th Century Biedermeier Bookcase
Located in Dallas, TX
Sensational Biedermeier fruitwood and ebonized wood inlaid bookcase. Having intricate lion form and foliate inlays, ebonized accents, and wonderful finish.
Category

19th Century Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Fruitwood

Pair Of Two Matching Biedermeier Bookcases, Cherrywood, Southern Germany, c 1820
Located in Greven, DE
Two antique Biedermeier cherry bookcases South Germany Cherry tree Biedermeier around 1820 Dimensions: H x W x D: 223 x 85 x 29 cm each Description: Beautiful and rare pair of two identical Biedermeier bookcases. The strictly cubistic designed pieces of furniture stand on pointed legs and each has a large transom...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Cherry

Antique, dark brown Biedermeier Bookcase, Circa 1850
Located in Opole, PL
We present you this piece of furniture of a simple form in mahogany veneer. The two-door corpus has door leaves that are glazed in the upper section. Furthermore, the corpus is pla...
Category

Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Biedermeier bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Biedermeier bookcases for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage bookcases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, hardwood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Biedermeier bookcases made in a specific country, there are Europe, Germany, and Austria pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookcases, popular names associated with this style include and Morelato. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for bookcases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,102 and tops out at $49,700 while the average work can sell for $7,649.

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