Vitrines
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Vitrines
Glass, Oak
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Vitrines
Cherry
19th Century French Country Antique Vitrines
Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vitrines
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vitrines
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Vitrines
Glass, Wood
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Vitrines
Walnut, Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Vitrines
Walnut
19th Century Antique Vitrines
Pine
19th Century French Country Antique Vitrines
Glass, Oak
1860s British Victorian Antique Vitrines
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vitrines
Walnut
19th Century French Country Antique Vitrines
Glass, Oak
19th Century British Victorian Antique Vitrines
Glass, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Vitrines
Blown Glass, Mirror, Walnut
1880s French Antique Vitrines
Brass
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Vitrines
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vitrines
Ormolu
19th Century European Empire Antique Vitrines
Other
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Vitrines
Marble, Ormolu
1890s English Chinoiserie Antique Vitrines
Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Vitrines
Bronze, Ormolu
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!