The patterns embroidered on this unusual sampler are characteristic of sampler traditions from at least six different European countries. Having shown the sampler to specialists in European sampler work, they have speculated its origin could be Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French, German, British- even American (although that is quite unlikely, in Scarlet Letter's opinion it is Italian).

The motifs are really a complex mix of cultures. The dogs, horses, hunters, the plants (flowers trees) and pastoral vignettes (many with a strong feminist emphasis: the woman plucking her lute under a tree, the plough-woman behind her cow, the woman breast feeding her baby beneath the leafy arbor), together with the costumes, suggest an English origin. However, the random placement of the motifs is more a Continental characteristic, as are many of the patterns. including the elaborate lion, the ape, the parrot, and the harlequin, none of which is typical of traditional English (or American) sampler design. The crucial pattern might be the altar/monstrance scene with the candles at the top centre, flanked by a priest and a mitered bishop. It is possible that a Catholic girl with a French, Italian and German background embroidered elements from all sides of her ethnic heritage into her sampler. The piece is executed entirely in cross stitch, over two threads of linen, in a palette of 29 colours.
 
Kit contains 35 or 40 count linen, silk or cotton thread, needle and instructions

FINISHED SIZE: 28-3/4"x19-1/4" (on 40 count)

Suitable for all levels.

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