#6863                                                                                                      Margaret Cooke Sampler
                                            

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12 1/2 " x 13 1/2".    16 3/8 " x 17 3/8 " including a vintage frame.   Margaret's gorgeous sampler has a definite folk art appeal to it.  The quirky and dramatic floral at the bottom center of the piece is certainly an eye-catcher.  I don't believe I have ever seen a motif like it.   She surrounds it with lots of more traditional motifs including birds, trees, baskets of fruit, squirrels, spotted dogs, and more florals.  There are also alphabets, de- corative dividing bands and a border.  When we searched for her we found several Margaret Cookes.  So while I believe Margaret's lovely sampler to be American, I am unable to verify it as the surname of Cooke is a very common one.    
  

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Her  verse reads:

" Tis religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live
Tis religion must supply
Solid comfort when we die ".

She signed her sampler " Margaret Cooke   Aged 13 years 183_".   Margaret's sampler is what we refer to as a vanity sampler.   At some point later in her life when she didn't want her age known, she went back and picked out the last year in the date.  Today, we are much too smart to put our age on our needlework.                                                                                                         

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The condition of this beautiful sampler is excellent.  The colors of the silks are surprisingly vivid and quite beautiful, especially in the large floral area.   There are no holes in the fabric and no losses to the silks.   The only problem to the condition is a small amount of bleeding in the signature area and the tiniest bit of bleeding in the blue at the bottom right of the large floral.    The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                       $2875.00

                                                                         #6871                                                                                                      Sarah Dawson Sampler
                                            

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with the Sun, Moon and Stars

12 3/8 " x 16 3/4".    15 1/2 " x 20 " including possibly the original frame with old wavy glass.  I fell in love with Sarah's whimsical sampler the moment I saw it.   It's absolutely filled with wonderful, bright motifs that will make you smile.  She starts her sampler with the moon and the stars shining over a forrest scene of fruit trees, flowers, squirrels and two very large butterflies.   Her second vignette pictures the sun and a rainbow shining over another forest scene. There are flowering trees, birds, squirrels, more butterflies and two really cute black dogs with white curly tails and white paws.   And two cherubs watch over this lovely scene.  Finally, she adds her verse and signature surrounded by yet more butterflies, birds, trees and a simple strawberry border.  
  

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                               Her  verse reads:

" Lord of this lower World frail
 Man was made The Creatures all to him their Hail
But when for Sin God did him once condemn
He's neither Master of himself or them".

She signed her sampler "Sarah Dawnson's Work  in the 15th Year of her Age   AD  1819".                                                                                                       
 

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Her delightful sampler is in excellent condition.  There are no holes in the fabric and only very minor  losses to the silks.  The colors are still vibrant and there is no bleeding.   The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.

Sarah added so many charming details to her sampler, like the coloring for the dogs and each of the four squirrels is holding a puffy little nut in its paws.  These are very unusual details and this is a lovely sampler.                                                                                                        SOLD

                                                                         #6872                                                                                                      Esther Smith  Sampler
                                            

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13 1/4 " x 16 3/8".    15 1/2 " x 18 5/8 " including a modern frame.   Be sure to look closely at the lovely strawberry border on this beautiful sampler.   It's very elegant and perfectly balanced with each strawberry having white seeds on the tips.  But the lovely additions at the top and bottom center of the border are especially sweet.   There is a small bird in a bower at the top center and a pretty little floral added to the bottom center.  The other florals stitched surrounding the verse are both beautiful and quite realistic.   There are rosebuds, lilies, carnations and daisys.   The inner border is worked in sawtooth satin stitch.    She signed her sampler  "Esther Smith   Her Work Finished January the 30  1824".
                                                                                                                        

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                                                                      Her  verse reads:
"Son of God thy blessing grant   Still supply my ev'ry want
Tree of Life thine influence shed  With thy sap my spirit feed

 Tend'rest branch alas am I    Wither without thee and die
Weak as helpless infancy   Oh confirm my soul in thee

Unsustain'd by thee I fall   Send the strength for which I call
Weaker than a bruised reed   Help I ev'ry moment need

All my hopes on thee depend    Love me save me to the end
Give me the continuing grace   Take the everlasting praise".                                                                                                     

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There are some holes in the fabric, mostly near the top mid- dle and top right florals.   Other holes are near the bottom center floral.   There are a few other holes but they are very tiny and not very noticeable.  But there are no losses to the silks and the colors are still vibrant.  There is no bleeding and as the sampler has been mounted on an acid-free board in a very close match to the color of the linen, the holes are not very noticeable.                                                                                                                             SOLD

                                                                         #6854                                                                                            17th Century Tent Stitch Embroidery
                                            

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7 1/2 " x 9 1/2".    12 7/8 " x 15 " including a beautiful old gilt frame.   Looking at a very early tent stitch embroidered picture is very much like looking at a painting.  In fact, the stitches are so tiny and the detail is so phenominal that from a distance it is difficult to tell that it is not a painting.   This may be a depiction of Adam and Eve sitting with Cain and Abel and a lamb under a lovely old tree.   The sun is peeking out from behind a cloud and a basket sits on the ground in front of them.  The workmanship is outstanding so of course, pictures simply cannot do this stunning piece justice.  It is truly spectacular.
  

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                                 This wonderful embroidery was once the property of a museum, although we do not know which museum.  The back of the piece still retains its original musuem information card.  The card reads:  " 2704  A panel of petit point needlework, English, date 1600,  upright, size 10" x 7 1/4". The pictures shows Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel, cradle, trees".    An embroidery of this quality and extreme early date is of course, very rare and very special.                                                                                                  

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The condition of this stunning embroidery is amazingly good.   There are no holes in the fabric and no losses to the stitching. The colors are still quite vibrant.  Embroideries like this one typically stitch the entire background as well as the subject, which obviously strengthens the fabric.  Perhaps that is why this very, very early piece of needlework is in such wonderful condition.   This embroidery is a very rare and exceptional offering.                                                                                                                                              $3850.00

                                                                         #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.                                                                                                                                               $1995.00