Hummingbird Firescreen
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
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2010s Ukrainian Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Ottomans and Poufs
Metal
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Wall Lights and Sconces
Iron
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Game Tables
Fabric, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1930s Swedish Table Lamps
Marble, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Velvet, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine
Antique Early 1900s Other Russian and Scandinavian Rugs
Wool, Cotton
Early 20th Century Chinese Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
2010s European Modern Side Tables
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Table Lamps
Silver Plate
Antique Late 17th Century Dutch Maps
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Armchairs
Plastic
20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
Wicker
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!