Antique French Louis Xvi Vitrine

Reflecting the final era of royal opulence before the upheaval of the French Revolution, antique Louis XVI furniture features more angular shapes than the Rococo curves of the Louis XV style, harkening back to the imposing grandeur of Louis XIV.

Dating between 1750 and 1800, an era that overlapped with the last king of France whose reign was cut short by the guillotine, Louis XVI furniture, known as the goût grec, is emblematic of the neoclassical revision that French furniture underwent during the second half of the 18th century.

Authentic Louis XVI furniture characteristics include clean lines and carved details such as scrolls and acanthus flourishes that were inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. This was informed by a burgeoning interest in antiquity in the 18th century, owing to new archaeological excavations at sites including Pompeii and Herculaneum. It largely eclipsed the more East Asian–influenced ornamentation of Louis XV for something more geometric and symmetrical.

The Louis XVI style was defined by what was being created for the palatial rooms at Versailles and Fontainebleau, particularly for the queen, with cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener being a favorite of Marie-Antoinette’s for his luxurious pieces accented with gilded bronze and marquetry. Furniture maker Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené was also a major designer of the period, with his pieces for the royal residences adorned with giltwood and neoclassical touches like tapered columns for chair legs and laurel leaf carvings. Cabinetmaker Adam Weisweiler occasionally incorporated into his furniture porcelain panels produced by Sèvres, a popular manufacturer of European ceramics that served the crown with serveware, vases and other decorative objects.

Find a collection of antique Louis XVI seating, tables, cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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!