Object number1960.9.9
Sampler
Date1798
Artist
Currently Unidentified
CultureDutch, Middelburg, Zeeland
MediumSilk thread on linen
DimensionsSupport: 17 1/2 x 16 1/4 in. (44.4 x 41.3 cm)
Framed: 28 3/4 x 22 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (73 x 57.8 x 3.2 cm)
Framed: 28 3/4 x 22 3/4 x 1 1/4 in. (73 x 57.8 x 3.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. James W. Packard (Elizabeth Gillmer, class of 1894)
On View
Not on viewPeriod18th c
Classification(s)
Signed SF
InscribedSF/ ANNO / 17 98
BibliographyRosner, Isabella and Theresa Kutasz Christensen. "Tapestry, Woven Fabrics, and Embroidery," in Andaleeb Badiee Banta and Alexa Greist, with Theresa Kutasz Christensen, Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800, Toronto, ON: Art Gallery of Ontario, Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, Canada: Goose Lane Editions, 2023, pp. 248, 253Exhibition HistoryMaking Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD, October 1, 2023 - January 7, 2024; Art Gallery Of Ontario, Toronto, ON, March 27 - July 1, 2024DescriptionThe SF sampler is a balanced composition displaying a myriad of Dutch sampler motifs. In the center we find the inscription, "SF Anno 1798" beneath a floral canopy emanating from flanking urns. Above is the motif of the Dutch Maiden in the Garden carrying the staff supporting the Cap of Liberty (the successor to the Phrygian cap). This motif is surmounted by a monumental tulip and flanked by the arms of Middelburg on the left, peacocks, a rooster and other birds. On either side of the tulip are butterflies, parrots and other smaller motifs. Flanking the inscription is a recumbent stag in a flowered meadow and a rampant lion in a fenced garden clutching the seven spears that represent the seven united provinces that comprise the Dutch Republic. In the bottom register a large hip-roofed house is flanked by orange trees in urns. These three motifs - the maid in the garden, the lion with the spears, and the orange trees - are symbols of the Dutch Republic and the Protestant House of Nassau and Orange. The sampler is worked in colors of red, blue, yellow, white, and green. There is a stylized flower and vine border across the top and bottom and a floral trellis border at either side.
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