Maria Van Wyk, Dutch Darning Sampler,
Holland,
1762

Sampler size:
19" square

Price: $8400

Enlarged and Printer Version

In Samplers from A to Z, Pamela A. Parmal, textile curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston writes the following regarding darning samplers:

"Darning which involved interweaving new threads into the warp and weft of a cloth to patch holes and tears, was an important skill for a household embroiderer to acquire. This was especially true prior to the mid-nineteenth century, when advancements in spinning and weaving technology made textiles more affordable. Darning samplers first became popular in Northern Europe during the early eighteenth century, then spread to Great Britain and the United States.

"Darning samplers usually included several repairs. Squares were cut out of the ground material and each darned in a different weave structure. One of the signs of a good darn was maintaining a similar tension between inserted yarns and the original warp and weft so as not to create buckling or pulling."

We have been great enthusiasts of this genre for many years and offer one of the most interesting Dutch darning samplers to become available in quite some time. Not only is this an outstanding visual and technical achievement but it is unusual in that it is accompanied by interesting family information. The sampler descended in its original family until quite recently, and therefore, we know much about its creator. Maria Van Wyk was born in 1746 and was raised in a nunnery as an orphan in Nijkerk, Utretch province. She worked this sampler at age 16 and by age 22 was working with the family of Cornelis Niewendijk whom she later married. They had two children and the sampler descended for five generations. The family was able to provide us with photos of family men, ancestors of Maria.

Featuring eight large darned squares and one large cut center square, the sampler also has a double edging of drawn work. A pair of heralding angels and a finely worked crown decorate the center. It was worked in silk onto very tight linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a gold leaf frame.

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