Hourglasses
Hourglass by Tapio Wirkkala for Hetkinen Lapselle
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A dramatic and sharp hourglass encased in a lucite cube.
Category
20th Century Finnish More Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Venini Two Colors Mini Hourglass/Clessidre, Unsigned
By Paolo Venini
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a great and rare find because is one of the small hourglass ever made by Venini. Also this
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Glass
Materials
Murano Glass
Midcentury Lucite Hourglass Sand Timer Sculpture After Charles Hollis Jones 1970
By Charles Hollis Jones
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing midcentury hourglass in bubble lucite with straight external lines. This fantastic item was
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Lucite
H 4.73 in W 1.7 in D 1.7 in
1970s Pair of Vintage Lucite Hourglass Sculpture Style of Charles Hollis Jones
By Milo Baughman, Charles Hollis Jones
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Fun pair of functional sculptural accents.
Measures: LG - 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.
MD - 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.
Category
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency Obelisks
Materials
Acrylic
H 9.13 in W 4.13 in D 4.13 in
19th Century XL Brass 7 Pound Weight Scale Apothecary Pharmacy Paperweight Desk
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Heavy and very large, 7 pound scale weight, hourglass form.
Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Arts and Crafts Paperweights
Materials
Brass
Recent Sales
Paolo Venini Murano Hourglass
By Paolo Venini
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful hourglass by Paolo Venini. Made in Italy, circa 1960s.
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Nautical Vintage Resin Hourglass and Paperweight
Located in Schagen, NL
Wonderful mid-century Resin Hourglass. Very decorative piece with multiple Nautical elements. Some
Category
Late 20th Century Spanish Bohemian Paperweights
Materials
Epoxy Resin
Rare Auböck Horn Sandglass or Hourglass
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, Vienna
A Auböck hourglass, with polished horn stand and glass bulb. Made by Auböck as a Merchandise
Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern More Clocks
Materials
Glass, Horn
Blue Murano Glass Hourglass, VELENI by L+W, 2022, Limited Edition Collectibles
By Lanzavecchia + Wai
Located in Milan, IT
"A delicate yet beautifully emblematic object symbolizing the passing of time, VELENI’s Hourglass
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Glass
Materials
Murano Glass
H 13.98 in W 5.12 in D 5.12 in
Oversized 1960s Hourglass
Located in Garnerville, NY
Late 20th Century oversized hourglass. Large and impressive time piece with a wood structure with a
Category
Vintage 1960s More Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
"Hourglass" by Andy Paiko
By Andy Paiko
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Hourglass" is a functional blown glass hourglass by Portland, Oregon artist Andy Paiko.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Glass
Materials
Blown Glass
Hourglass By Tapio Wirkkala
By Tapio Wirkkala
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A sculptural and uncommon (only a small quantity was produced in the 1960s) hourglass precisely
Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Acrylic
Large Hourglass with Pink Sand
By Pols Potten
Located in Greenwich, CT
This large two hour long hourglass is both decorative and functional. Place on the table or shelf
Category
2010s Dutch Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Large Hourglass with Pink Sand
By Pols Potten
Located in Greenwich, CT
This large two hour long hourglass is both decorative and functional. Place on the table or shelf
Category
2010s Dutch Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Modern Large Brass White Sand Hourglass
Located in Astoria, NY
Modern large brass white sand hourglass / timer, unmarked. This item is not functional
Category
Mid-20th Century More Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
French Vintage Encased Monumental Hourglass Lucite Sculpture
Located in North Miami, FL
This fantastic vintage French encased large Lucite hourglass object /sculpture is mesmerizing. The
Category
Vintage 1970s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Masonic Or Odd Fellow Fraternal Regalia Hourglass
Located in York County, PA
MASONIC OR ODD FELLOW FRATERNAL REGALIA HOURGLASS, FOUND IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, 1880-90:
Category
Antique 19th Century American Desk Accessories
Vintage Paolo Venini Incalmo Clessidra Hourglass, circa 1950
By Paolo Venini
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine and scarce vintage Italian art glass incalmo 'Clessidra' hourglass designed by Paolo Venini
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Blown Glass
Modernist Lucite Hourglass Sculpture with Ice Blue Sand, Franco Scuderi
By Franco Scuderi
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist Lucite hourglass cube with ice blue sand. Beautiful object. Clear acrylic Lucite
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Lucite
Large Sculptural Lucite Hourglass on Pivoting Stand circa 1960s
Located in Peabody, MA
Massive Lucite hour glass consisting of a fine-grained two hour device embedded in a heavy block of clear acrylic suspended on a pivoting stand for ease of rotation, ca. 1960s.
...
Category
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Lucite
Vintage Regency Brass Hour Glass - Set of 2
Located in west palm beach, FL
crafted pieces feature gleaming brass and classic hourglass design, perfect for adding a touch of
Category
Late 20th Century Regency Paperweights
Materials
Metal
Murano Pink Black Filigrana Ribbons Italian Art Glass Pedestal Paperweight
By Paolo Venini, Venini, Fulvio Bianconi
Located in Kissimmee, FL
with an hourglass design. Would make a great display piece on any desk, vanity or coffee table. Mid
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
Materials
Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Glass, Art Glass
19th Century English Hourglass
Located in High Point, NC
19th century English hourglass made from pine. The top and bottom have hand-carved pie crust edges
Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian More Desk Accessories
Materials
Blown Glass, Pine
19th Century English Hourglass
Located in Rochester, NY
Antique English hourglass. Walnut turnings with nice old greenish glass with bubbles, 19th century.
Category
Antique 19th Century European Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass, Wood, Walnut
Unusual Little Lucite Hourglass
Located in Pasadena, CA
This lucite hourglass looking bubbles within yellow and green tinted lucite. The object sits on a
Category
Mid-20th Century American Glass
Modernist Sculptural Hourglass, circa 1985
By Venini
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Modernist sculptural hourglass. circa 1985.
Category
20th Century American Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Antique Hourglass Early 19th Century
Located in Rochester, NY
Early 19th century hourglass. Continental. Blown glass. Oak and pine.
Category
Antique Early 19th Century European Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood, Glass
19th Century Hand-Carved Hourglass
Located in High Point, NC
19th century hand-carved hourglass from England. The top and bottom are hand-carved and are joined
Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian More Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak, Blown Glass
Modernist Blue Hourglass, 1990's
By Venini, Paolo Venini
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Modernist blue hour glass, 1990's.
Category
20th Century Unknown Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass
Turned Column Hourglass Early 20th Century
Located in Rochester, NY
Turned column hourglass. Early 20th century.
Category
Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Blown Glass, Wood
Vintage Art Nouveau Tin Hourglass, Early 1900
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage hourglass is a wonderful item: a twisted tin hourglass with an incredible fineness of
Category
Early 20th Century European More Desk Accessories
Materials
Tin
Fulvio Bianconi for Venini “Clessidre” Murano Hourglass
By Fulvio Bianconi, Venini
Located in San Francisco, CA
A vintage “Clessidre” hourglass designed in 1957 by Fulvio Bianconi for Murano glass studio Venini
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass
Materials
Art Glass
Four Brass Post Glass Hourglass on Turned Wooden Stand
Located in San Francisco, CA
Four brass post glass hourglass on turned wooden stand.
Category
Late 20th Century More Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Vintage Paolo Venini Murano Hourglass Amethyst and Sapphire, Clessidra
By Venini
Located in Uccle, BE
Hourglass in transparent amethyst and sapphire glass,
circa 1957.
Measure: 19 cm high.
Known as
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Colorful Murano Hourglass Clessidre Italian Art Glass Vintage Objects
By Fratelli Toso, Venini
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Yellow, Green and Orange with Gray "Clessidre" Hourglass Sculptural Objects. The Yellow and Green pieces
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Glass, Murano Glass
Walter Bosse Zodiac Twins Mid-Century Hourglass, Brass, Hertha Baller, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful modernist hour glass / sand timer, made of brass, displaying the zodiac sign twins, Austria, 1950s, designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller. In very good cond...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Mid-Century Carl Aubock Horn Hourglass, Sand Timer, Brass, Austria, 1950s
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful and rare modernist hour glass/sand clock from the 1950s. Designed and executed by Carl Aubock, Austria. Made of cow horn with a brass top. In excellent condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Paolo Venini, Italy, "Clessidra" Sandglass
By Venini, Paolo Venini
Located in Uccle, BE
Venini mouth blown hourglass, strong dark blue and green color.
Designed in 1957, the largest of
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Post-Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Blown Glass
Vintage Hour Glass Sand Timer Lovely Decortive Piece Must See Pictures
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely vintage hourglass sand timer
A very decorative
Category
20th Century English Country More Dining and Entertaining
Materials
Glass
Reserved for Suhas
By Fulvio Bianconi, Venini
Located in Kissimmee, FL
. The pedestal is all black glass with an hourglass design. Would make a great display piece on any desk
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Paperweights
Materials
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
Christofle Hourglass
By Christofle
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful form by Christofle. A silver plated hourglass with a cerulean sand running through it.
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Silver Plate
Ovesized Midcentury Brass Hourglass
Located in Chicago, IL
Ovesized Midcentury brass hourglass
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Vintage Small Clear Resin Hourglass
Located in New York, NY
1970's French small clear resin hourglass.
Category
Vintage 1970s French Desk Accessories
Materials
Resin
Pair of Venini Incalmo Clessidre Hourglasses
By Fulvio Bianconi, Venini
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful pair of early Venini "Clessidre" hourglasses. Designed in 1957 by Fulvio Bianconi for
Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Decorative Objects
Materials
Murano Glass
Vintage Clear and Black Resin Hourglass
Located in New York, NY
1970's French clear and black resin hourglass. Measures 2.5 minute increments.
Category
Vintage 1970s French Desk Accessories
Materials
Resin
Assortment of Venini Incalmo Clessidre Hourglasses
By Venini
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful assortment of three Venini "Clessidre" hourglasses. Designed in 1957 by Fulvio Bianconi
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Decorative Objects
Materials
Murano Glass
Brass Hour Glass
Located in North Egremont, MA
Mid century brass and glass hourglass
Category
Vintage 1960s European Desk Accessories
Exceptional Office Inkwell, Gilded Bronze Mounted Shell, Germany, 18th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
originality of its creation, the ink reservoir and the hourglass in gilded bronze
are encrusted in a conical
Category
Antique 18th Century German Inkwells
Materials
Bronze
H 6.11 in W 4.14 in D 4.14 in
Large Polished Brass Hourglass
Located in San Francisco, CA
Huge polished brass hourglass.
Category
Vintage 1960s American Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
1940's English Hourglass
Located in Chicago, IL
1940's English Hourglass with brass holder
Category
Vintage 1940s English Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Large 19th Century Hourglass
Located in Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire
A large 19th century hourglass with clear glass blown bulbs woven together, the sand timer is
Category
Antique 19th Century More Desk Accessories
Materials
Blown Glass
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Rare Victorian Firescreen with Taxidermy Hummingbirds by Henry Ward
By Henry Ward
Located in Amsterdam, NL
England, third quarter of the 19th century
On two scrolling foliate feet with casters, above which a rectangular two-side glazed frame, with on top a two-sided shield with initial...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Materials
Other
H 51.19 in W 55.12 in D 201.58 in
Brushed Aluminum Industrial Hourglass on Stand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Modern industrial brushed aluminum hourglass - in the style of Bauhaus industrial - German, Berlin.
An interesting contrast of blown glass and heavy industrial material gives this...
Category
20th Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Aluminum
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Hourglasses For Sale on 1stDibs
Find a variety of hourglasses available on 1stDibs. The range of distinct hourglasses — often made from glass, blown glass and metal — can elevate any home. Hourglasses have been made for many years, and versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century. Hourglasses made by Mid-Century Modern designers — as well as those associated with Modern — are very popular at 1stDibs. Not every interior allows for large hourglasses, so small hourglasses measuring 2.68 inches across are available at 1stDibs. Hourglasses have been a part of the life’s work for many furniture makers, but those produced by Venini, Paolo Venini and Tapio Wirkkala are consistently popular.
How Much are Hourglasses?
Prices for hourglasses can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, hourglasses begin at $62 and can go as high as $6,800, while the average can fetch as much as $1,285.
Finding the Right Desk Accessories for You
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.
Questions About Hourglasses
- Are hourglasses really an hour?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022No, despite the name, hourglasses aren’t necessarily always an hour. An hourglass is a device for measuring the passage of time as sand or liquid flows from the upper section to the lower section. Hourglasses can be crafted to measure any amount of time and are not limited to an hour. Shop a collection of hourglasses on 1stDibs.
- How old are hourglasses?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The first hourglass is believed to have been invented in the 8th century A.D. by Liutprand, a French monk. The first hourglass used sand to record the passage of time. However, modern designs use sand, liquid and other materials. Shop a selection of vintage hourglasses on 1stDibs.
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