Biedermeier style

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

Style of German and Austrian art, furniture, and decoration that developed 1815 to 1848. Gottlieb (“Papa”) Biedermeier was a fictional cartoon character, the comic symbol of middle-class comfort, with an emphasis on family life and the pursuit of hobbies. The subject matter of Biedermeier paintings, which were either genre or historical, was treated sentimentally; Carl Spitzweg (1808–85) is the best-known of the Biedermeier painters. The simplicity and functionality of Biedermeier furniture were derived from the Empire and Directoire styles, but the furniture was characterized by more restrained geometric shapes. The style was revived in the 1960s.


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REVIEW; The line on Biedermeier; Exhibit traces a misunderstood but influential style
; ...from 1815 to 1830. It presents the Biedermeier style as a critical precursor to modernism...limiting what is considered pure Biedermeier style. Figdor's mother-in-law told her...with this show upends is that the Biedermeier style and cultural attitude were a reflection... Read more
A look at the lineage of home decor; Exhibit traces and helps define the Biedermeier style
; ...high-profile collectors such as Oprah Winfrey, furniture in the Biedermeier style has not been well understood - until now, according to...until Jan. 1 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. What is "pure" Biedermeier style has been redefined by the show and in its 400-page exhibition... Read more
Biedermeier chairs.
; The Biedermeier style originated in Austria and Germany in 1814 and remained popular...honest, functional and elegant furniture characteristic of the Biedermeier style. For a society concerned with the pleasures of social and intellectual... Read more
The Biedermeier style.(biedermeier exhibitions )
; ...nobility, and the aristocracy. From these origins, it filtered down to the nouveaux riches. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Biedermeier style emerged during a time of economic hardship in the wake of fifteen years of war and a blockade barring imported goods that... Read more
Streamlined silver in Vienna.(Current and coming/"Viennese Silver: Modern Design, 1780-1918" at Neue Galerie, New York, New York)
; ...silversmiths at a time when the city's population was 280,000. The Biedermeier style, born and bred in Vienna in the early nineteenth century...he was furnishing some of his clients' interiors in the Biedermeier style. Finally, the Wiener Werkstatte (founded by. Hoffmann and... Read more
Buyers now turning to Biedermeier
; ...the fancy auction galleries turned up their noses at the mere mention of furniture and decorations in the "Biedermeier style." Even the name itself was symbolic of the commonplace. It was a combination of the names of Biedermann... Read more
Craft our end table
; ...It's a straightforward piece, built of native walnut, but crafted with the gracefully shaped legs that characterize the Biedermeier style. The top measures about 16 x 14 inches; it stands 29 inches high, which is standard for a table. Originally designed as... Read more
GOOD READING
; Simply put, it's an exhibit of style "Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity," soon to be a major exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum, was deemed worthy of mention in the September... Read more
Biedermeier furniture: collectors attracted to the modernity and fine craftsmanship of the best Biedermeier pieces will find that prices are temptingly modest.(COLLECTORS' FOCUS)
; ...valued at 85,000 [euro]. Although it began as a middle-class style, Biedermeier became sufficiently fashionable to be chosen for aristocratic...private apartments in the Munich Residenz furnished in Biedermeier style. When it fell from fashion, the furniture was used in government... Read more
German museum sweetly furnished
; HAMBURG: Arguably the sweetest room in the world has opened its doors to the German public - a Biedermeier-style parlour decorated and furnished entirely in chocolate. The walls are panelled in dark chocolate. The ceiling is white chocolate... Read more

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

Biedermeier
Biedermeier , name applied, at first...of European culture and a style of furniture, decoration...bourgeois-minded "Papa Biedermeier," a humorous character featured...Wars. Although the best Biedermeier furniture was produced between...extending from 1815 to 1848. Biedermeier designs were ... Read more
Biedermeier
Biedermeier Term applied to an intimate, unassuming style characteristic of much German and...craftsmanship, and unostentatious charm. Biedermeier painting is concerned with the everyday...the painters who best exemplify the style. The term is sometimes extended to... Read more
Biedermeier
Biedermeier. Central-European style of architecture, decorative arts, painting, and interior design from...virtuous, and Maier being a common German surname, like Jones. The style was robustly comfortable, decently proportioned, essentially Neo-Classical... Read more
Biedermeier
Biedermeier. Term applied to an intimate, unassuming style characteristic of much German and...craftsmanship, and unostentatious charm. Biedermeier painting is concerned with the everyday...the painters who best exemplify the style. The term is sometimes extended to... Read more
Empire style
Empire style manner of French interior decoration and costume which evolved from the Directoire style . Designated Empire because of its identification with...often enriched the walls; the ceilings were plain. The style continued in fashion until c.1830. A simplified form was...United States; a German ... Read more

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