Rare Medieval Hourglass Beam - Rooster And Gothic Phylactery - 15th 16th Century

Rare and large medieval hourglass in solid wood It is composed of a rooster carved in high relief as well as a phylactery inscribed with the words LAN FER... The particularity of this hourglass is the presence of small flowers carved in incisions. A real rarity. This hourglass comes from an Aveyron collection. Work from the late Middle Ages or early modern period. 15th or 16th century 105cm long 24cm wide 10cm thick approximately The sand pits, text by Marielle Brie: This oak element is very often only known to the Bretons without them being the only ones to use it. Essential to the framework, the top plate is a horizontal beam supported on the wall; it supports the loads of a floor or more generally of part of the vertical loads of the building. Before installing this delicate piece, a bed of sand was traditionally placed in the location reserved for it. By placing the element, the sand flowed slowly and gently as the beam took place, ensuring its perfect stability and horizontality. Given the special precautions taken for its installation, the beam took the name of sand pit. Perched much higher than were the stained glass windows or the works offered for the view of the faithful, the sand pits nevertheless offered a convenient space for artistic expression which carpenters and joiners took advantage of between the end of the 15th and the 17th centuries. . A walk through Breton churches reveals the regional specificity of these structural elements. Two characteristics allow us to better understand the shapes. The first is that the location of the sand pits, often very high, regularly in the shadow, sometimes makes it difficult to read the ornaments. The second follows from the first: the location is not favorable to religious discourse, secular subjects are tolerated there and the imagination of the artisans is freed. Hence a staggering diversity of fanciful subjects borrowing both from the daily life of the time and from legends awakening pagan memories. Because for a long time, Christianity had no other choice but to live in harmony with the resurgence of local myths and creatures inherited from ancient cults...