Antique Swedish Karl Johan Biedermeier Sofas Tables and Chairs - The History
From the early 1800s in the reign of Karl XIV Johan, swedish tastes changed influenced by the empire designs coming from French Empire furniture and the designs from Germany and Denmark.
Swedish Biedermeier Karl Johan furniture is a simplified interpretation of the 'Empire' style that was prevalent in France and the close links between the two countries.
Most Karl Johan Biedermeir furniture is made of locally available golden birch mahogany or cherry wood (both solid and veneer) with painted ebonised wood accoutrements unlike the painted finishes of the gustavian era or the heavier darker woods popular in England at the time. It was a more accessible style than the very grand and structured Empire furniture from france with slightly softer edges but still very different from the rounder gustavian style.
We also operate a special search facility for karl johan biedermeier pieces so contact us now.
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History of biedermeier (courtsey of wikipedia) -
'Biedermeier was an influential style of furniture design from Germany during the years 1815-1848, based on utilitarian principles. The period extended into Scandinavia, as disruptions due to numerous states that made up the German nation were not unified by rule from Berlin until 1871.
These post-Biedermeier struggles, influenced by historicism, created their own styles. Throughout the period, emphasis was kept upon clean lines and minimal ornamentality. As the period progressed, however, the style moved from the early rebellion against Romantic-era fussiness to increasingly ornate commissions by a rising middle class, eager to show their newfound wealth. The idea of clean lines and utilitarian postures would resurface in the 20th century, continuing into the present day.
Middle- to late-Biedermeier furniture design represents the a heralding towards historicism and revival eras long sought for. Social forces originating in France would change the artisan-patron system that achieved this period of design, first in the Germanic states and, then, into Scandinavia. The middle class growth originated in the English industrial revolution and many Biedermeier designs owe their simplicity to Georgian lines of the 19th century, as the proliferation of design publications reached the loose Germanic states and the Austro-Hungarian empire.
The Biedermeier style was a simplified interpretation of the influential French Empire Style of Napoleon I, which introduced the romance of ancient Roman Empire styles, adapting these to modern early 19th century households. Biedermeier furniture used locally available materials such as cherry, ash and oak woods rather than the expensive timbers such as fully-imported mahogany.
Whilst this timber was available near trading ports such as Antwerp, Hamburg and Stockholm, it was taxed heavily whenever it passed through another principality. This made mahogany very expensive to use and much local cherry and pearwood was stained to imitate the more expensive timbers. Stylistically, the furniture was simple and elegant. Its construction utilised the ideal of truth through material, something that later influenced the Bauhaus and Art Deco periods.'
