Daily AncestorWinged hourglass
A winged hourglass on a gravestone means time flies: life passes swiftly, and the wings can also suggest the soul flying to heaven.
Wings on an hourglass turn a plain reminder of passing time into the old saying that time flies. Boston carvers used it alongside the death's head in the 1600s and 1700s.
Victorian writers gave it a double reading: the sand has run out, and the soul is on its way to heaven. The motif is a mood, not a record, so it tells you nothing about how the person died.
As seen in a recordNew England burying ground, 1690 to 1800
Winged hourglass above the inscription: Mr. Nathl. Pettibone, died Novr 11 1756, in his 63d year. Time flies
Sources
- Iconography of Gravestones at Burying Grounds (City of Boston Parks and Recreation)
- Early American Gravestones: Introduction to the Farber Gravestone Collection, by Jessie Lie Farber (American Antiquarian Society)
- Messages in Stone: Symbolism on Victorian Grave Markers, by Loren N. Horton (The Palimpsest, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1989)
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Winged hourglass." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/winged-hourglass. Last checked 2026-10-15.