Miniature Sampler
England, 1800
sampler size: 3½” x 4½” •
framed size: 5” x 6” •
sold
This very delicate and appealing miniature sampler is dated 1800. Samplers such as this were often made as personal mementos or gifts of friendship, and this likely falls into that category.
The needlework is extremely fine and was accomplished onto a tightly woven linen ground. A classic English composition, this displays symmetrical motifs including hearts, crosses, birds perched on potted plants and a central flowering tree. The large heart was filled in with long satin stitches in green, yellow and pink. A decorative, undulating border finishes the piece nicely.
Worked in silk on linen, it remains in excellent condition, and has been conservation mounted into an ochre-painted, molded frame.