Vitrines
1950s Italian Vintage Vitrines
Iron
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Vitrines
Walnut, Glass
20th Century British Country Vitrines
Iron
1930s French Vintage Vitrines
Glass
1930s French Vintage Vitrines
Metal
20th Century Italian Vitrines
1930s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1950s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1950s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1970s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1970s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1970s Hungarian Industrial Vintage Vitrines
Iron
1960s Vintage Vitrines
Teak
Early 20th Century Danish Art Deco Vitrines
Birch, Glass
Early 1900s American Regency Antique Vitrines
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Vitrines
Steel
20th Century European Industrial Vitrines
Brass, Chrome
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vitrines
Ormolu
Early 1900s Belgian Chippendale Antique Vitrines
Oak
Early 20th Century English Vitrines
Mahogany
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vitrines
Metal
19th Century European Empire Antique Vitrines
Other
Mid-20th Century Dutch Vitrines
Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Vitrines
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vitrines
Chrome
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Vitrines
Glass, Silk, Wood
19th Century English Antique Vitrines
Glass, Wood
Antique and Vintage Vitrines
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!