Antique Cast Iron Winged Hourglass Funerary Hardware This matched pair of heavy cast handles retains the dramatic architectural styling characteristic of the late Victorian era. At the center of each backplate stands a winged hourglass beneath finial ornaments, framed by scrolling bail handles designed to be both functional and symbolic. Their substantial weight and construction suggest they were intended for a high-quality funeral casket or related mortuary furniture.
Few Victorian symbols speak more directly about mortality than the winged hourglass. Representing the passage of earthly time and the soul's journey beyond death, the motif appeared throughout nineteenth-century funerary art.
Surviving coffin handles entered the collectors' market through undertakers, funeral home inventories, architectural salvage, or cemetery maintenance during the twentieth century. Obsolete hardware was removed from deteriorated or abandoned furnishings.
Details
Origin: Europe
Date: Circa 1875–1895
Material: Heavy cast iron with original nickel plating (likely)
