Gabriel Viardot Display Cabinet
Antique Late 19th Century French Japonisme Furniture
Metal
Recent Sales
Antique 1890s French Japonisme Vitrines
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Chinoiserie Vitrines
Bronze
Antique 1890s French Art Nouveau Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Antique Late 19th Century French Japonisme Cabinets
Marble, Ormolu, Bronze
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Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Vases
Bronze
Antique Early 1900s French Baroque Revival Lanterns
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Cabinets
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Children's Furniture
Giltwood
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XVI Fireplaces and Mantels
Marble
Antique 19th Century Rustic Screens and Room Dividers
Animal Skin, Walnut
Early 20th Century Egyptian Revival Pedestals
Walnut
20th Century American Statues
Concrete
20th Century French Floor Mirrors and Full-Length Mirrors
Beech
Antique 19th Century German Models and Miniatures
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Late Victorian Taxidermy
Feathers
Antique Late 19th Century American Classical Trunks and Luggage
20th Century Austrian Arms, Armor and Weapons
Silver
Antique 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Decorative Boxes
Bone
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Baroque Revival Vitrines
Velvet, Glass, Giltwood
Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Neoclassical Table Clocks and Desk Cl...
Silver, Enamel
Finding the Right Vitrines for You
Why not give your precious collectibles the case pieces they deserve? Antique and vintage vitrines can be used to safely store and display your most treasured objects.
While they were initially used to display relics in churches or to preserve specimens for scientific observation, vitrines are best known for their place in retail spaces and museums. The name for these glass display cases comes from the Latin word “vitrum,” meaning glass, as well as the Old French word “vitre,” which also refers to glass. Instead of simply showcasing collector’s items on shelves, you can bestow extra importance on them by displaying them in a vitrine for passers-by to observe and admire.
Not all vitrines are created equal. Over time, furniture makers have explored different shapes and sizes for vitrines. A display case you’ll find in a retail store will likely look drastically different from what you’ll see in a museum or art gallery. A vitrine in a shop is likely there to best market specific wares to the general public, while in museums there is usually a range of different vitrines intended to house and protect single objects or to display a grouping of artifacts.
Most of us have an antique, new or vintage case piece in our home. Though the terms “case pieces” and “case goods” may cause even the most decor-obsessed to stumble, these furnishings have been a vital part of the home for centuries. Any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — cabinets, dressers, buffets — may be properly termed a case piece.
Mirror-backed vitrines, which refer to cases that usually feature shelved and mirrored interiors, are a most appropriate home for your jewelry or decorative objects. Adding such items to a vitrine already suggests that there is an irreplaceable preciousness to the case’s contents, and the mirrors will emphasize as much as well as refract more light to render the display eye-catching.
On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of antique and vintage vitrines to protect and preserve your most prized items. The collection of mid-century modern vitrines and Art Deco vitrines is mostly inclusive of those built with a wooden frame, but there are many other types to choose from as well. It’s time to give your collectibles a good home!
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