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Sandglass
Marked by: Unmarked
English or German
about 1550
Object Place: Europe, England or Germany
Medium/Technique
Silver gilt, blown glass, silk, gold thread
Dimensions
H. (wall mounted, open) 22.1 cm (18 11/16 in.); W. 17.9 cm (7 1/16 in.); Diameter 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.); Weight: 620.9 gm (19 oz 19 dwt)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour
Accession Number57.533
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSilver
DescriptionThe sandglass is mounted horizontally on a wall bracket with a reversible hinge. The bracket is surmounted with a cast crest composed of scrolls terminating in acanthus leaves and dolphins flanking the head of an angel. The molded edge of the bracket is dentiled, and triangular braces with pierced hanging mounts form the support. The circular ends of the sandglass are embossed with lobes alternately plain and chased with acanthus. The glass is enclosed by four columns, each with a central section composed of applied scrolling brackets joining, the acanthus foliage on the column. The elements of the bracket support are formed from wrought sheets. The cresting and the columns are cast, and the scrolls at the centers of the columns are composed of wires, chased and soldered together. The ends of the sandglass are formed from assembled wrought pieces, embossed, chased, die-struck, and flat-chased.
ProvenanceBy 1956, John Hunt, London and Dublin; 1957, sold by Hunt to the MFA for £1,500. (Accession Date: June 5, 1957)