30-minute coloured brass hourglass with stand
CHF 168.00
Tax included
30-minute bronze-coloured brass hourglass with stand
– a symbol of eternity…
Hourglasses hold great significance for me and are highly prized by collectors for their historical and practical value. My first hourglass was made of gold and silver, used by priests to time their sermons. I found it in a shabby pawnbroker’s shop near the Ramblas in Barcelona. Some hourglasses measure up to two hours; this was back in the days when church pews were designed by the Inquisition to subject people’s backs to torture. Naval hourglasses were calibrated for the half-hour watch shifts on board, and if the helmsman did not turn the hourglass over too early, it was also used to determine longitude. Sailors tried to keep track of the hours. The galleons that sank on the reefs off Western Australia remind us of the dangers of inaccurate timekeeping. To appreciate the symbolic importance of the hourglass, look at Renaissance still lifes, also known as ‘Vanitas’ paintings, which are full of symbolism and moral lessons. They very often feature hourglasses.
Origin: Asia
Period: Modern
Materials: Brass
Dimensions: H 25 x 18.5 x 13 cm
10443A
1 Item
Data sheet
- Dimensions
- Ht 25 x 18.5 x 13 cm
- Material
- Laiton
- Origin
- Asiatique
- Era
- Neuf
30-minute bronze-coloured brass hourglass with stand
– a symbol of eternity…
Hourglasses hold great significance for me and are highly prized by collectors for their historical and practical value. My first hourglass was made of gold and silver, used by priests to time their sermons. I found it in a shabby pawnbroker’s shop near the Ramblas in Barcelona. Some hourglasses measure up to two hours; this was back in the days when church pews were designed by the Inquisition to subject people’s backs to torture. Naval hourglasses were calibrated for the half-hour watch shifts on board, and if the helmsman did not turn the hourglass over too early, it was also used to determine longitude. Sailors tried to keep track of the hours. The galleons that sank on the reefs off Western Australia remind us of the dangers of inaccurate timekeeping. To appreciate the symbolic importance of the hourglass, look at Renaissance still lifes, also known as ‘Vanitas’ paintings, which are full of symbolism and moral lessons. They very often feature hourglasses.
Origin: Asia
Period: Modern
Materials: Brass
Dimensions: H 25 x 18.5 x 13 cm