A showcase is a glazed case or cabinet designed to display objects while protecting them from dust and handling. The term covers table-top cases with glazed lids, freestanding cabinets glazed on several sides, wall-mounted cases and the large shop and museum fittings once used by retailers, jewellers and public collections.
Showcases became widespread in the nineteenth century with the growth of museums, international exhibitions and department stores, and with improvements in the manufacture of large sheets of plate glass. Fine examples were made in mahogany, oak, walnut and ebonised wood, often with brass or bronze fittings, and specialist shopfitters supplied cases for haberdashers, tobacconists and jewellers. French vitrines in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, with ormolu mounts and curved glass, were a more decorative domestic version. Collectors look for original glass, sound frames, working locks and keys, and good, well-fitting doors that keep out dust. Museum and shop cases are now sought after for displaying collections of ceramics, silver, scientific instruments and natural history in the home, and they bring a distinctive, curated character to a library, hall or kitchen.
