Biedermeier

Prized by the avant-garde and the haute bourgeoisie of central Europe in the nineteenth century, Biedermeier style is experiencing an unprecedented revival around the world today. Biedermeier, with its newly updated introduction and expanded bibliography, serves as an unrivaled sourcebook for those who are interested in the furniture and decor of an era that has uncanny parallels with our own. Angus Wilkie traces the complex history of this forgotten era, giving a cultural background to the work itself. Providing an overview of the astonishing variety of furniture produced by local cabinetmakers from Germany to Scandinavia, this text showcases the candlesticks, secretaries, and spittoons crafted in rich fruitwoods and subtly decorated with ebony inlay and sunburst veneer. Over 160 specially commissioned color photographs - as well as watercolors of Biedermeier interiors, original textile designs, and original drawings of furniture and draperies - illustrate this book.