English Sampler, Mary Goodwin 1764

261 year old English sampler. Pictorial silk on linen cross-stitched sampler, featuring a strawberry and sawtooth border enclosing two alphabets and a row of numbers over a verse extolling respect for parents. Quite striking and unusual is the repeat of the border as a center feature like a flower field.

Signed MARY GOODWIN AGED 16 1764, over flowering "strawberry plants", birds and black and white sheep or cows on grassy mounds. Very charming painting a serene country scene with needle and thread.

Sight: 14"H x 11" W. Framed under glass in a molded wood frame 17 1/2"H x 14" W.

PROVENANCE: Private Middle Tennessee collection.

1" hole to ground near one sheep, other areas of thinning to ground lower left and upper right; a few scattered stains. Minor wear to frame. The sampler has not been examined out of its frame, but both it appears to be stitched to backing versus glued down. The cloth is well preserved for its age, this does not detract from the overall aesthetic, but rather underline the authenticity and historical character of the piece.