{"product_id":"pair-of-victorian-memento-mori-coffin-handles","title":"Pair of Victorian Memento Mori Coffin Handles","description":"\u003ch1 class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"2355\" data-start=\"2340\" data-section-id=\"tbtqo7\"\u003eArchive Notes\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2441\" data-start=\"2357\"\u003eAntique Cast Iron Winged Hourglass Funerary Hardware\u003cbr\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2441\" data-start=\"2357\"\u003eFew 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSurviving 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr data-end=\"3707\" data-start=\"3704\"\u003e\n\u003ch1 data-end=\"3718\" data-start=\"3709\" data-section-id=\"1i7x1es\"\u003eDetails\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cul data-end=\"4273\" data-start=\"3720\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"3773\" data-start=\"3720\" data-section-id=\"16p2u7j\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"3733\" data-start=\"3722\"\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Europe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"3801\" data-start=\"3774\" data-section-id=\"dlclkx\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"3785\" data-start=\"3776\"\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Circa 1875–1895\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"3871\" data-start=\"3802\" data-section-id=\"gb6h72\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"3817\" data-start=\"3804\"\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Heavy cast iron with original nickel plating (likely)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"3970\" data-start=\"3872\" data-section-id=\"s0g4es\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"3889\" data-start=\"3874\"\u003eDecoration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Winged hourglass (\u003cem data-end=\"3922\" data-start=\"3908\"\u003ememento mori\u003c\/em\u003e), architectural backplate, scrolling swing bail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"4047\" data-start=\"3971\" data-section-id=\"pt9svo\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"3986\" data-start=\"3973\"\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Original swinging handles\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"4084\" data-start=\"4048\" data-section-id=\"193av48\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"4065\" data-start=\"4050\"\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e Appx: 8 inches wide, 4.5 inches tall\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-end=\"4273\" data-start=\"4085\" data-section-id=\"17i702t\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-end=\"4101\" data-start=\"4087\"\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Good antique condition with age-related plating wear, scattered oxidation, and surface patina. Mechanically sound with moving handles. Please examine photographs carefully.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"DEADSKULL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46572661768389,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/4849\/0949\/files\/6DE73CDC-F959-4293-BD51-2AC6D045A743.jpg?v=1784617865","url":"https:\/\/deadskull.co\/products\/pair-of-victorian-memento-mori-coffin-handles","provider":"DEADSKULL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}