One of the most iconic props in Hollywood history comes from the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz,” and it recently sold at auction for nearly $500,000.

Described as the “most famous and recognizable timepiece in film history,” Margaret Hamilton’s “Wicked Witch of the West” hourglass from the 1939 MGM film sold on December 17 for $495,000, according to Heritage Auctions.

The scene with the hourglass comes after Dorothy is captured and taken to the Wicked Witch’s castle, with the help of the witch’s flying monkeys, The Hollywood Reporter noted.

The Wicked Witch then holds the hourglass upside down and tells the girl from Kansas, “Do you see that? That’s how much longer you’ve got to be alive! And it isn’t long, my pretty! It isn’t long! I can’t wait forever to get those shoes!”

The hourglass the Wicked Witch of the West used to taunt Dorothy with in The Wizard of Oz, has sold for $495,000 at auction. pic.twitter.com/mrRveBGkon

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 25, 2022

According to the description on the auction site, the hourglass measures 20 inches tall and 11.5 inches wide, with a “Gothic frame” that was “expertly crafted by studio artisans of wood and papier-mâché with winged gargoyles perched atop three spiraled columns. The glass element is crafted of hand-blown glass filled with red glitter (added later for display, as the glitter does not flow through the narrow neck of the glass).”

While there were many versions of the hourglass created for filming, the one that recently sold at auction was made out of wood and papier-mâché. Other versions were created out of resin and wood, the outlet noted.

The hourglass is also used during the climax of the film when the Wicked Witch tells Dorothy and her friends who had come to rescue her — Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow — that they weren’t going anywhere.

“Going so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it. Why, my little party is just beginning,” the Wicked Witch explains.

The famous prop was also used in several other films, such as “Babes on Broadway” (1941) and “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” (1964).

It was later displayed in a variety of museum exhibitions across the United States like the Los Angeles Public Library’s Getty Gallery in 2000 and Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, in 2016.

Film critic Gary Kramer savaged the old-Hollywood epic comedy-drama “Babylon” in his review, calling the Damien Chazelle flick “a busy, bawdy and bad orgy of Hollywood nothingness” and suggesting it’s crowning achievement was “to make Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie boring.”

The review — which was published Friday on Salon ahead of what was supposed to be the film’s big opening weekend — began with a simple question from Kramer: “Why, Damien Chazelle? Why?” And the Philadelphia-based critic’s assessment only got more and more brutal as it continued.

Kramer lamented the plot relating to two supporting characters — a lesbian singer named Fay and a black musician named Sidney — saying that they appeared to be little more than tokens: “Fay and Sidney each get their own storylines, but Chazelle shortchanges them, just as Hollywood does, by giving them very little to do other than be lesbian/Asian, and Black, and keeping them mostly on the sidelines.”

The critic went on to complain that the lengthy film — with an over three hour running time — might have played better as a miniseries, but even then, he argued that the underlying theme in each individual storyline was the same.

“There is one good idea in each storyline, but it is the same one: Hollywood is a soulless dream factory. It is neither original nor profound,” Kramer wrote. “The characters are one-trick ponies who barely get to develop over time — and the film covers almost a decade in their lives (plus a coda).”

“Nothing ‘Babylon’ says is very deep, and Chazelle takes his time to say nothing,” Kramer continued, arguing, “Perhaps Chazelle’s greatest accomplishment here is to make Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt boring.”

Kramer’s assessment appears so far to align with that of the general public — “Babylon” tanked at the box office over the Christmas weekend, only bringing in $5.3 million. As The Daily Wire previously reported, the film needs to make $250 million to recoup its operating budget and turn a profit.

“Babylon” has already racked up several Golden Globe nominations — Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Actor — but the reviews on film-rating site Rotten Tomatoes are mixed at best. It currently has a 55% fresh critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 49% audience score.