Objekt 1
Four-glass turret hourglass from St. Thomas in Leipzig
Description
According to the inscription, this is the hourglass of the tower of St. Thomas in Leipzig, the church that gained great fame through the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. The engraving above the glasses depicts two tower winders with trumpet and zinc, in the center a dial held by two standing lions with the Leipzig city panorama and a wooden hand to mark the hours, and below a vanitas allegory with skull, hourglass and plants. Below is a circular calendar with indications of the month and day, which can be marked by a (missing) hand and by inserting a (missing) pin. Each individual glass bears the hour indication 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 painted in red color above and below.
Object description
Maker: Christian Heining (d. 1677)
Leipzig, 17th century.
Wood, painted and covered with copper engravings, white glass, white sand
Inscription: CHRISTIANUS HEINING THÜRM: ZU ST. THOM. IN LEIPZIG
Running time: 1 quarter, 2 quarters, 3 quarters, 4 quarters
Gift Public Library of the University of Basel
Inv. 1880.190.