#6869                                                                                                  Werter Memorial Embroidery
                                            

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12 " x 14"    18 " x 19 3/4 " including a modern oval frame.   Often, needlework of the 18th and 19th centuries was inspired by paintings, poems or books of the time, as is the case with this unusual piece.   The Sorrows of Werter by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was originally published in Germany in 1774.  The English translation was published in 1779.   This very special memorial embroidery was inspired by that book.   And what I find to be absolutely amazing is the fact that this lovely piece was stitched on blue felt.   The monument, and the lady's clothes and hat are appliqued pieces of felt, while her face is painted on paper. The remainder of the piece is stitched with silk.     
  

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The verse on the monument reads:

" Oh!  May the interventions of Charlotte
plead for the decay of Reason in Werter".

The top of the monument shows the name of Werter.  The young lady holds a prayer book and wears a lovely bonnet and a black cape.  The scene is surrounded with willow trees.   The embroidery is circa 1800 - 1820.                                                                                                       

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There are some holes in the felt, mostly near the tree trunk on the right.   There are also a couple of small holes near the top of the monument.   But there is very little thread loss and very little damage to the actual stitching.   This is a wonderful example of how important needlework was to a young girl's education.   The embroidery  has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                               $1465.00

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#6222
 Jannet Ogilve Sampler

8 3/4 x 16 1/2".   11 1/4" x 18 3/4" including a modern frame.  This is a very early English band sampler dated June 1763.   Actually, many of the motifs are more typical to the 17th century rather than the 18th.   The first band of double running stitch includes four wonderful "boxers".   Jannet followed this lovely delicate band with an alphabet, bands of decorative stitching including queen stitched strawberries, and several different religious aphorisms.   Due to thread loss, some of them are a little difficult to read.   But, I will attempt to give you as many of the words as I can decifer.      

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                                                                            Her verse reads:                                                      "Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth"       

"Immortal made what should _____                         ______ as immortal ______                                   beings for a heaven designed                                  what but a heaven the care should be"

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"

The first part of the last one is missing, but as it is a well known quote from Proverbs 12:4, I can give you the entire quote.   It reads:   "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband  but she that maketh ashamed is as rotteness in his bones"  The first word that is visible on the piece is "maketh".                                                                                                         

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                                                                                                                  There are some condition problems with Jannet's sampler.   As mentioned above, there is a fair amount of thread loss, although it is only in the verse areas.   There are holes in the alphabet area and also the main verse area which are visible in the pictures.  There are a few very small stains, but they are not very noticable.  In spite of these problems, this is still a wonderful, very early piece of needle- work history.    The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                               $1265.00

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#5251

Diana Mary Cruse Sampler - 12" X 13 1/2".  15 1/2" X 16 1/2" including new frame.  This lovely motif sampler is stitched with silk, and it is filled with lots of wonderful and traditional sampler motifs.  There is a fruit basket, birds,

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and many beautiful floral motifs as well as an elaborate floral border.  The verse reads " Jesus permit thy sacred Name to stand, As the frist efforts, of a Youthful hand. And as Her Fingers, o'er the Canvass move, Engage her tender thoughts, to seek Thy love  With thy dear children, let Her have a part,  And write thy Name, thyself upon her heart. " I think she was very

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creative with her punctuation. It is signed " Diana Mary Cruse  February 18th, 1849" There is an overall darkening around the verse area, a small amount of thread loss and a few barely noticeable holes near the large pot of flowers in the bottom left. There is a hole in the border in the top left corner and some wear to the top fabric edge. But the only damage that is noticeable is the darkening of the verse. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.              $1,135.00

                                                                         #6646                                                                                            Abigail P. (Pain) Stevens Sampler
                             Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts
 

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16 1/2" x 18 1/2".   21" x 23 " including a modern frame.   Abigail Pain Stevens was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts on December 16, 1809.   Her parents were Francis and Mary Stevens.   She stitched her stunning sampler in 1824 at the age of 14 years.  If you love needlework, you will definitely love Abigail's wonderful verse (see below).   She stitched two different verses, as well as the names and birthdates of her siblings and surrounded them with a wonderful and whimsical basket of flowers.   The blue bird on the right is especially appealing.   She must have loved birds, because even the top border of her sampler features four more wonderful birds.  The two side borders are different from the top border and the bottom features a garden of grass beneath the basket.   

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Abigail's wonderful verses read:
" How blest the maid whom circling years improve
Her God the object of her warmest love
Whose useful hours succesive as they glide
Her book her needle and her pen divide.

Jesus permit they gracious name to stand
As the first efforts of an Infant hand
And while her fingers ore the canvass move
Engage her tender heart to seek thy love".

She then added the names and birthdays of her three sisters and two brothers.                                                                                                                                                               

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There are two small holes in the fabric and some overall darkening, but the sampler is otherwise in very good condition.   There is also a bit of thread loss in the second verse area.  The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                 $3350.00

                                                                         #6420                                                                                                          Silk Embroidery
                                                

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11 1/4" x 12 ".    15 3/4" x 16 1/2 " including a stunning original bird's eye maple frame.  This lovely bouquet of flowers is stitched with silk on silk.  It is circa 1830.  The incredibly delicate flowers are gathered with a ribbon bow and surrounded with an undulating vine of more flowers.   The workmanship is exquisite and the shading is lovely.      

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The maple frame is probably the most beautiful 19th century frame I have ever seen.  The corner details are wonderful and its condition is quite good with only a few scratches to the finish.                                                                                                                                                               

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As with most needlework that is stitched on silk, the fabric is showing some wear.   The most noticable areas are the top left and the bottom right corners of the fabric.   There are a few small holes in the center area, but these are not very noticeable.  In spite of the damage to the silk, this is still a lovely example of fine needlework.                                                                                                                                                                                                     $795.00

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                             #6424                                                                                                         Quaker Alphabet Sampler

8 1/2" x 18 1/2".  10 1/2 " x 20 1/2" including a modern frame.  While we don't know the name of the girl who stitched this charming alphabet sampler, we do know that she was a Quaker.   She used the very characteristically Quaker block alphabet.  She did not finish her sampler,  so it is not signed or dated, but I believe it is circa 1830.       
                  

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It is also a nice touch that three of her alphabets include the amper- sand symbol, which is a bit unusual.   Our stitcher surrounded her sampler with a simple "wave" border and included one little branch of foliage.   The touches of blue stitching were probably added at a later date.                

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The sampler is in very good condition with just a bit of thread loss.  There is one fairly large stain in the upper left that is visable in the pictures.    There are no holes although I did find a couple of broken threads in the backing fabric.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     $1235.00