The history of the Biedermeier style
BIEDERMEIER (1815-1848)
The Biedermeier style was born in Austria at the start of the 1800s, in a rich city which for many centuries had been the cultural and political centre of Europe.
Following the Napoleonic wars and the Congress of Vienna (which had lasted nine long months), there was a great wish to return to normality.
The numerous palaces in the city were relighted and once again filled with people wanting to celebrate the end of the long hard period in history that the French revolution, and the succeeding Napoleonic empire, had been.
This long period of peace led to a large amount of economic development, with an accompanying enrichment of the middle class, a general feeling of well-being and an increase in consumerism.
In this moment of fervour and the party atmosphere, a new lifestyle was born based not only on refinement, but also on the quality of day-to-day life.
This was much in vogue with the middle and upper middle classes in Germany and Austria, who were more interested in solving the problems of their private lives rather than in the culture and politics of the moment, unless these happened to impinge on their economic interests and lifestyles.
Certain elements were taken from classical architecture and to a lesser extent from the style of the empire. However, it was application of the concepts of simplicity and harmony to the arrangement and organisation of furniture in these new, more comfortable, and well-appointed homes, while at the same time maintaining elegance and refinement, which were to become the principles of the Biedermeier style, rules which have remained to this day as a guide to furnishing.
The room furnishings demonstrate a less rich taste, which, while retaining the complexity of the Louis XVI and first empire styles, from which the Biedermeier style followed on, nevertheless maintained a high quality and refined beauty. Moreover, it would be the pleasure of furnishing with taste that would be considered, rather than the gratification of mere wealth.
It is from the many paintings of this period that we can deduce all this; they illustrate in the minutest detail how the living spaces of the day were furnished; people and objects are depicted in their natural environment, carrying out day-to-day tasks.
From there Biedermeier furniture soon invaded the rest of Europe, thanks in part to their simple lines and easy reproduction, but also to the advent of the industrial revolution and mass production, which led to a reduction in costs.
The Biedermeier style in Europe took on different forms depending on the country, the culture, the raw materials and the individual needs.
One of the most important furniture-makers of the day was Joseph Danhauser and his name is strongly linked with this period; his works were much appreciated and widely available, and many to this day are conserved in museums.
The word Biedermeier became a derogatory term in 1850, and was used to refer to an insignificant middle class, apolitical, conservative person, who was only interested in their own family life. The word Biedermeier is made up of the adjective bieder (honest, respectable, unsophisticated, worthy) and one of the most common German surnames, Meier.