Ann Hollensbee, 1772
Name/Title
Ann Hollensbee, 1772Entry/Object ID
2009.1.1Tags
Canvas work, Counted-thread embroidery, Embroidery, Sampler, Emma-Henriette Schiff von Suvero CollectionDescription
The almost square composition of various geometric designs in hues of blue, cranberry, pink, yellow, tan brown, and black; the upper. This sampler is unique in its concept and composition, being fully worked and having color blocks that have retained their brilliant colors. The upper portion features two heart-bearing crowns, a dog, a leopard, and fruit baskets, and, most significantly, two guards flanking a castle. The guards distinctive scarlet and gold uniforms may indicate that they were "Beefeaters" the Yoeman Warders who guarded the Tower of London, which has housed the crown jewels since the 14th century. The sampler is worked in silk on linen.Context
The upper portion features two heart-bearing crowns, a dog, a leopard, and fruit baskets, and, most significantly, two guards flanking a castle. The guards distinctive scarlet and gold uniforms may indicate that they were "Beefeaters" the Yoeman Warders who guarded the Tower of London, which has housed the crown jewels since the 14th century. Henry XVIII established this special guard in 1485, and their scarlet tunic dress uniforms date from 1552. Included in the lower portion of the sampler are classic sampler motifs, including a potted flower, which may represent a tulip, a decorative urn of pink roses, as well as an apple tree with twisted branches. This specific tree can be found on 17th and 18th century Northern European needlework, and was brought by the Dutch to the New World, where it appears on New York Biblical school samplers. Ann inscribed her sampler within a heart-shaped cartouche, "Ann Hollensbee/May 13 1772/Aged 13 Years." The capital letters as well as the border of the heart are stitched in eyelet stitch. It is likely that Ann was the daughter of Valentine and Elizabeth "Hollinsby," and was christened on October 18, 1768 at Saint Edmonds, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. The sampler was part of the Collection of Emma-Henriette Schiff von Suvero. This collection included a large and interesting group of European, English, and American samplers, as well as furniture, porcelain, and paintings. Emma-Henriette Schiff von Suvero was born in 1863 and died in 1924; after her death, the collection remained in her family until it was confiscated by the Nazi regime in 1939. The collection was then transferred to the Staatliche Kunstgewerbemuseum, Vienna, now known as the Museum für Angewandte Kunst (MAK). These items were either displayed or stored at the MAK until the Spring of 2003 when the Austrian government restored ownership of the collection to the heirs of Emma-Henriette Schiff von Suvero who then sold the samplers.Collection
ERS Sampler CollectionCategory
Sampler