Not currently on display at the V&A

Sand-Glass

1575-1625 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

During the 16th and 17th centuries sandglasses were used in various situations: in churches, typically to time the sermon; on ships to time the length of the watches; in the kitchens of wealthy households, probably to help judge cooking times. They are often illustrated in scholars' studies where they served meditation, or simply helped judge the time of day.

Sandglasses in this period were constructed from two matching glass ampoules sealed (often with wax or pitch) and bound with fabric at the joint. The 'sand' was usually a material less sensitive to moisture such as powdered metal, rock or eggshell.

These four sandglasses in a single frame run for different periods, probably subdivisions of an hour, but it has not been possible to time them precisely as the particles no longer run freely.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Blown glass in a frame of ebony inlaid with ivory (or bone)
Brief description
Sand-glass set (x4) fitted into an ebony case, inlaid with ivory. Italian, c1600
Physical description
A sand-glass set or ‘battery’ of four glasses each composed of two ampoules or phials, mounted in a frame of ebony with ivory or bone inlay.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.3cm
  • Width: 14.5cm
from catalogue
Object history
Bought for £3 from Mons. Fulgence, Paris.
Display history: displayed in room 5 (case W.129) by 1925 (with 83-1880), and in room 74 (1964); in store (room 125s) by the 1980s.

These four sandglasses in a single frame run for different periods, probably 15min, 30min, 45min & 1 hour, although 5, 10, 15 & 20 minutes are also possible; it is not possible to time them as the particles no longer run freely. It is likely to have been used for timing private study or personal devotions.
Historical context
Comparable sand-glasses
See: C. F. C. Beeson, 'Sandglass in cloth of gold’, in Antiquarian Horology,_ 1968, 417-418 and and front cover picture (p. 385). With numbers for the quarter hours painted on the ampoules.
Possibly the same piece as included in Anna, Dominique and Eric Delalande, Sabliers d’autrfefois... , Paris 2015, pp. 170-173

The portait by Hans Eworth of William Cecil, First Baron Burghley, c.1565 (Hatfield House) depicts a broadly similar sand-glass.
Summary
During the 16th and 17th centuries sandglasses were used in various situations: in churches, typically to time the sermon; on ships to time the length of the watches; in the kitchens of wealthy households, probably to help judge cooking times. They are often illustrated in scholars' studies where they served meditation, or simply helped judge the time of day.

Sandglasses in this period were constructed from two matching glass ampoules sealed (often with wax or pitch) and bound with fabric at the joint. The 'sand' was usually a material less sensitive to moisture such as powdered metal, rock or eggshell.

These four sandglasses in a single frame run for different periods, probably subdivisions of an hour, but it has not been possible to time them precisely as the particles no longer run freely.
Collection
Accession number
82-1880

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Record createdDecember 21, 2005
Record URL
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