Pair of Biedermeier bedside tables; c. 1820.

Pair of Biedermeier bedside tables; c. 1820.
Birch root wood and ebonized wood.
They show restorations and damage caused by xylophagous.
Measurements: 76 x 52 cm (diameters, x2).
Pair of bedside tables with the same design carved in wood. The Biedermeier style showed a simplified interpretation of the influential French Empire style of Napoleon I, which introduced stylistic characteristics of the ancient Roman Empire styles, adapting them to the modern homes of the early 19th century. Biedermeier furniture used locally available materials, such as cherry, ash and oak woods, rather than expensive woods such as mahogany, which was entirely imported. Although this wood was available near commercial ports such as Antwerp, Hamburg and Stockholm, it was heavily taxed whenever it passed through another principality.