Hourglass or sand timer

1820-1880

Measurements

4-1/2 x 2-7/8 in (dia)

Materials

Mahogany (possibly walnut), glass, sand

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1959.3614

Inscription

A "T" has been carved into one end.

Condition Notes

One end of the wood case has split along the grain through the holes made for the posts.  Both splits are glued.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

Hour glasses were well-known in early America and Europe, both as time keepers and as symbols of the passage of time.  This little timer has the requisite double-bulb glass containing fine sand.  It takes about 45 seconds for the sand to pass from the upper bulb through the necked opening to the lower.  Its practical use is unknown. 

There are few indicators of when and where this hourglass might have been made.