Sampler
Unknown Artist
1813
Medium
Linen
Dimensions
L. 41 1/4 x W. 11 1/2 inches (104.8 x 29.2 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
German
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Collection of Mrs. Lathrop Colgate Harper, Bequest of Mabel Herbert Harper, 1957
Accession Number
57.122.101
Art Historical Context
This exquisite linen sampler, crafted by an unknown German artist in 1813, the enduring tradition of embroidered textiles in early 19th-century Europe. Measuring an impressive 41¼ by 11½ inches, it belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Sculpture and Decorative Arts, gifted through the bequest of Mabel Herbert in 1957. Samplers like this were more than decorative; they served as personal records of accomplishment, often created by young girls to demonstrate proficiency in needlework skills essential for domestic life. In the context of Napoleonic-era Germany, such works reflected cultura...