Embroidered sampler

Unknown

1651 · Silk on linen · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This long and narrow sampler is divided up into five square sections, two small and three large, on top of which is an alphabet. Four of the squares consist of floral motifs along the borders and facing the middle, while the fifth features banded geometric patterns. The letters SM and the year 1651 are stitched onto the linen, most likely the initials of the maker and the year in which she completed her work. Flanking these initials are a ship’s wheel and an unidentified animal.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1651

Medium

Silk on linen

Culture

German

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

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