#7029
 Reticella Sampler

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7 " x 8 ".   12" x 13 1/4 " including a very nice 19th century rosewood frame.  This gorgeous sampler fea- tures pulled work, cutwork and lots and lots of exceptionally complex stitches.  This type of needle- work was only ever done in the 17th century. I am giving this a circa date of 1680, but it very well may be quite a bit earlier. Needlewomen today are beginning to bring back the popularity of this type of advanced needlework but today, just as it was in the 17th century, this type of work is only for the very ad- vanced stitcher. So of course, an example of this type of needlelace is very rare.  And I think it is quite charming that the final band of the sampler is unfinished and it even has the stitcher's working thread still attached.  It gives you an opportunity to see the work in progress and get a glimpse of how these bands of cutwork were made.

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                                                                               Originally, the sampler would have been much, much longer, probably another 15 - 20 inches longer.  But as the sampler shows, only the top of the piece was finished.  There is a cut edge along the bottom of the fabric. It would have been impossible to frame a piece with all that blank fabric.  So most likely, at some point someone cut off the remaining blank fabric.  Even though this is an unfinished sampler, it is still quite lovely framed. The workmanship is excellent and it is a beautiful and rare piece of needlework history.                                                                                       
                                                

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Considering the extreme age of this sampler, the condition is amazingly good. As mentioned, it is not a complete sampler, but there are no holes in the fabric and no thread losses. Certainly the fabric has darkened over the years, but the needlework is intact and still very beautiful. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board. This is an opportunity to own a 17th century reticella sampler at a very affordable price.                                                                                                                                $1450.00      

 #7014
 Charlotte Sharp Sampler

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13 " x 17 1/4 ".   12" x 13 1/4 " including a modern frame.   Charlotte's motif sampler begins with an upper case alphabet separated by several lovely decorative dividing bands. There is a geometric zig-zag band, an acorn band and a trefoil band, followed by a sweet little band of carnations. Next, she signed her name and then filled the bottom half of her sampler with several fairly typical sampler motifs.    There are pots of flowers, birds, crowns and a regal looking lion.  This is all surrounded by an elegant wave pattern border.

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                                                                               I imagine that Charlotte was an excellent student. There is not a stitch missing or a single motif that is not balanced by a similar motif on the other side. Charlotte did not drag her threads across the back of the fabric or even run out of any of her colors.  Everything is perfectly balanced.  I find her sampler to be simply charming, which would explain why it has been hanging on my own wall for a number of years. There is just something about this sampler that is very appealing.  But I need more space on my sampler wall, so Charlotte has to go.                                                                                      
                                                

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The condition of Charlotte's piece can only be called sharp (pun intended). There is one hole in the fabric near the lion's feet. And there are two very minor little stains in the bottom right corner area.  But I'm actually being very picky in even mentioning them. Simply put, the sampler is in very good condition. It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                             $1775.00      

 #7030
 Elizabeth Bennet Sampler

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12 " x 17 ".   15 3/4" x 20 1/2 " including a 19th century bird's eye maple frame.  Elizabeth's beautiful sampler features a gorgeous example of what we refer to as the "Scottish alphabet". This elaborate and ornate upper case alphabet is filled with with wonder- ful filagree stitches that give it a delicate and lacy appearance.  In addition to the beautiful alphabet, the florals in her sampler are quite special.  The two large flowers above the house are filled with unusually lovely satin work.  And the winding floral border has some wonderful and unusual stitching as well.

While we did find more than one Elizabeth Bennet, we believe that our stitcher was born in 1771 in Lothian, Scotland.  Her parents names were Arthur and Elizabeth Bennet and she was one of nine children.

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                                                                               Her verse reads:

"Remember thy Creator
in The days of thy Youth".

She signed her sampler,  " Elizabeth Bennet
Finished this work in the 1_ year of her age".

The second diget of her age has been picked out, but she would have been 11 years old in 1782.                                                                                     
                                                

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Elizabeth's sampler is in very good condition. There are no holes in the fabric and no losses to the threads. The pictures show a flaw in the upper left corner but that is only a reflection from the glass. There is a minor stain near the year.  We were unable to mount this sampler on acid-free board because it was glued down on the board it was mounted on.  But we found absolutely no damage to the sampler from the glue.                                                                                                                                               $2250.00      

 #7032
 Susanah Cockcroft Sampler

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12 1/2 " x 12 1/4 ".   16" x 15 1/2 " including a 19th century bird's eye maple frame.  Susanah's beautiful sampler features an impressive mansion with a lovely front garden, along with a charming picture of the lady of the house feeding the birds.  The fence bordering the garden appears to be a picket fence. There are cherubs and florals and trees as well as a lovely carnation border.  The mansion is reminiscent of the buildings we see on so many of the beautiful Scottish house samplers.  So, even though we believe Susanah to be English, her needlework shows a definite Scottish influence.

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Susanah was born on July 12, 1802 in Heptonstall, York, England. She was christened on November 11, 1802.  So, she would have been only nine years old when she stitched her lovely sampler.  Her parents were John and Susannah Cockcroft.  York is fairly far north in England, so that might explain the Scottish influence in her sampler.

                                                                                    
                                                

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There are some problems with the condition of Susanah's sampler.   There are some holes in the fabric, the most noticable of which is next to the signature. Other holes are in the fence area and the top and bottom edges of the fabric (outside the stitching area).   There are two stains just under the top border and there is also some bleeding in the bottom border area.  The fabric does have some overall darkening.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $1675.00