Embroidered band sampler

Unknown

1676 · Linen and silk on linen · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Band samplers are composed of horizontal rows ("bands") of embroidered patterns stitched along the linen foundation fabric. Many of the patterns stitched onto band samplers can be traced to sixteenth-century pattern books, and often include depictions of fruit, flowers, and geometric patterns. The top portion of the sampler consists of whitework, while the rest utilizes colored silk threads. The letters HB and the year 1676 are stitched onto the linen, most likely the initials of the maker and the year in which she completed her work.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1676

Medium

Linen and silk on linen

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

From the Collection of Mrs. Lathrop Colgate Harper, Bequest of Mabel Herbert Harper, 1957