When we trace back the origins of the hourglass, we can’t find conclusive evidence of its existence before the 14th century. Now 700 years later, we’re familiar with seeing sand inside hourglasses, but over the centuries, they’ve also been filled with powdered marble and crushed eggshells. They first found importance aboard ships as aids in measuring distances traveled—an improvement over millennia-old clepsydras, or water clocks. The water clocks could be compromised more easily, even by the condensation produced on humid days. On land, however, use of the hourglass was often more symbolic than functional. While the mechanical clock (invented around the same time) and its intricate inner mechanisms prompted comparison to the movements of the heavenly spheres, the hourglass measured a set period. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Twenty-Three Buy Now Related Stories Design Inside Looking Out A rewilding of interior design in the heart of Milan. Design Issue 44 An Unmovable Feast A place setting stitched for every season. Design Partnerships Together Again The return of the small gathering, in partnership with Fritz Hansen. Design Issue 42 Light Snack A luminous celebration of gelatin. Design Interiors Issue 42 Studio Tour: Fernando Caruncho Gardens sit between the natural and the artificial. George Upton meets the man mediating between the two. Design Issue 42 My Favorite Thing The garden designer, Fernando Caruncho, shares the story behind a painting of his mother.
Design Partnerships Together Again The return of the small gathering, in partnership with Fritz Hansen.
Design Interiors Issue 42 Studio Tour: Fernando Caruncho Gardens sit between the natural and the artificial. George Upton meets the man mediating between the two.
Design Issue 42 My Favorite Thing The garden designer, Fernando Caruncho, shares the story behind a painting of his mother.