Iconic Old Solid Brass Hourglass Printing Block harpy but both drawing and frame

but both drawing and frame appear in very good condition

This glaze appears again on the interior as halo-like outlines for the acidic blue-green hyroglyph-like decoration

perhaps in southern Maine

20 5/8" long x 7 1/2" tall x 9/16" thick overall

and this wear certainly suggests it was hung and seen

Iconic Old Solid Brass Hourglass Printing Block harpy but both drawing and frameMy attraction to printing blocks is not really related to their printable function; rather, I'm attracted their objecthood and specifically interested in ones bearing text or graphics that have all sorts of resonances. So this excellent old solid brass one bearing a perfectly rendered hourglass, as what is more symbolic, and iconic, than that? (I might lay it on its side in a gesture of trying to slow things down!) Just an excellent small thing, and