Take note, dear ones, it looks like the Wicked Witch of the West’s iconic hourglass has found a new home.
The signature Wizard of Oz prop recently sold for $495,000. Heritage auctionsan organization known for auctioning collectibles described it as “the most famous and recognizable timepiece in movie history”.
The play played a central role in the film, with which the Wicked Witch threatens Dorothy and says, hourglass in hand, “See that? That’s how long you have left to live! And it’s not long, my beauty! it’s not long! I can’t wait forever to get those shoes!”
Over the course of the scene, the camera zooms in on the hourglass, revealing that Dorothy’s friends, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, are running out of time to save her from the Wicked Witch.
Wizard of Oz
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
While many versions of the hourglass were made for the film, the one that went on sale on December 17 was made of wood and paper mache. It was used in the climactic scene where the witch holds it over her head in an act of defiance against Dorothy and her friends as they try to escape.
According to Heritage Auctions, the Gothic hourglass frame was crafted by studio craftsmen, including winged gargoyles atop the spiral columns. The glass is also hand blown and later filled with red glitter for display purposes as the glitter does not fit through the narrow neck of the glass.
After The Wizard of Oz, it was also used in other films The Wizard of OzLike it Babes on Broadway (1941)Diana (1956), and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964).
