Sample
Unknown Artist
early 19th century
Medium
Silk on felt
Dimensions
L. 3 3/8 x W. 2 3/4 inches 8.6 x 7 cm
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936
Accession Number
36.90.1687
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate embroidered sample, titled simply *Sample*, hails from early 19th-century France a period when textile innovation flourished amid the Napoleonic era and Restoration. Crafted with fine silk threads on a felt ground, it measures just 3 3/8 by 2 3/4 inches (8.6 x 7 cm), the precision of French embroidery techniques. The plant motifs, likely rendered in intricate stitching, reflect the era's fascination with nature-inspired designs, popular in decorative arts for furnishings, fashion, and upholstery. As a textile sample from the European tradition, this piece served practical purpos...