Large Welsh Motif Woollen Sampler by Mary Jones aged 19 Years Aberaeron, Carmarthenshire 1886
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
Really Victorian charming sampler with superbly skilful stitchwork. Multiple symmetrically presented motifs: house, oversized birds, cockerels, folksy girls in traditional Welsh dress & Fallow Deer. Exceptional provenance via label to the back detailing Mary’s marriage information & home villages of Llwyncelwyn & Pontyberem. Central verse from Psalm 34.8. Original scumbled maple veneered frame.
Additional Comments
When the sampler was re-framed, the thread on the reverse was seen to be very garish & bright (often characteristic of Welsh pieces) but over its 137 years the piece has mellowed to present a beautifully mellow palette of pastel shades. At the top Mary has stitched the following very spirited verse: “Mary Jones is my name & Wales is my nation. Llwyncelwyn is my dwelling place & Christ is my Saviour. When I am dead & in my grave and all my bones are rotten look in this sampler & you shall find my name when I am quite forgotten. Aged 19 Years AD 1886.” I would love to have met Mary. It is interesting to note that Mary was relatively old when she completed this amazing piece – quite conceivably it took her many years! There are two unusual, paired motifs at the base which might be deciduous trees with their leaves fallen – perhaps Silver Birch. The whole piece is then surrounded by a strawberry border so typical of the period (partly obscured by the original gilt slip). Given its near 140 years of age, the sampler’s colours are still vibrant, with only some very small losses to the ground & age-related darkening in places. As detailed to the rear of the frame (see image), Mary lived in Llwyncelwyn (a village in Ceredigion situated approximately 2.7 miles southwest of the town of Aberaeron & 2 miles northeast of the village of Llanarth) & Pontyberem (a village & community situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire). We purchased it from a Welsh dealer.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Mary’s stunning sampler for sale by taking it from its original frame & removing the surface dust using a conservation vacuum clearer. It has then been stitched onto complementary fresh linen which rests on cotton wadding glued to an acid free mount. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the veneer waxed. Finally, the sampler has been re-presented in its frame behind the original period pine backing secured by stainless steel panel pins & sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to the original period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 76x87x3cm
Ref: S20
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
Really Victorian charming sampler with superbly skilful stitchwork. Multiple symmetrically presented motifs: house, oversized birds, cockerels, folksy girls in traditional Welsh dress & Fallow Deer. Exceptional provenance via label to the back detailing Mary’s marriage information & home villages of Llwyncelwyn & Pontyberem. Central verse from Psalm 34.8. Original scumbled maple veneered frame.
Additional Comments
When the sampler was re-framed, the thread on the reverse was seen to be very garish & bright (often characteristic of Welsh pieces) but over its 137 years the piece has mellowed to present a beautifully mellow palette of pastel shades. At the top Mary has stitched the following very spirited verse: “Mary Jones is my name & Wales is my nation. Llwyncelwyn is my dwelling place & Christ is my Saviour. When I am dead & in my grave and all my bones are rotten look in this sampler & you shall find my name when I am quite forgotten. Aged 19 Years AD 1886.” I would love to have met Mary. It is interesting to note that Mary was relatively old when she completed this amazing piece – quite conceivably it took her many years! There are two unusual, paired motifs at the base which might be deciduous trees with their leaves fallen – perhaps Silver Birch. The whole piece is then surrounded by a strawberry border so typical of the period (partly obscured by the original gilt slip). Given its near 140 years of age, the sampler’s colours are still vibrant, with only some very small losses to the ground & age-related darkening in places. As detailed to the rear of the frame (see image), Mary lived in Llwyncelwyn (a village in Ceredigion situated approximately 2.7 miles southwest of the town of Aberaeron & 2 miles northeast of the village of Llanarth) & Pontyberem (a village & community situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire). We purchased it from a Welsh dealer.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Mary’s stunning sampler for sale by taking it from its original frame & removing the surface dust using a conservation vacuum clearer. It has then been stitched onto complementary fresh linen which rests on cotton wadding glued to an acid free mount. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the veneer waxed. Finally, the sampler has been re-presented in its frame behind the original period pine backing secured by stainless steel panel pins & sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to the original period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 76x87x3cm
Ref: S20
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
Really Victorian charming sampler with superbly skilful stitchwork. Multiple symmetrically presented motifs: house, oversized birds, cockerels, folksy girls in traditional Welsh dress & Fallow Deer. Exceptional provenance via label to the back detailing Mary’s marriage information & home villages of Llwyncelwyn & Pontyberem. Central verse from Psalm 34.8. Original scumbled maple veneered frame.
Additional Comments
When the sampler was re-framed, the thread on the reverse was seen to be very garish & bright (often characteristic of Welsh pieces) but over its 137 years the piece has mellowed to present a beautifully mellow palette of pastel shades. At the top Mary has stitched the following very spirited verse: “Mary Jones is my name & Wales is my nation. Llwyncelwyn is my dwelling place & Christ is my Saviour. When I am dead & in my grave and all my bones are rotten look in this sampler & you shall find my name when I am quite forgotten. Aged 19 Years AD 1886.” I would love to have met Mary. It is interesting to note that Mary was relatively old when she completed this amazing piece – quite conceivably it took her many years! There are two unusual, paired motifs at the base which might be deciduous trees with their leaves fallen – perhaps Silver Birch. The whole piece is then surrounded by a strawberry border so typical of the period (partly obscured by the original gilt slip). Given its near 140 years of age, the sampler’s colours are still vibrant, with only some very small losses to the ground & age-related darkening in places. As detailed to the rear of the frame (see image), Mary lived in Llwyncelwyn (a village in Ceredigion situated approximately 2.7 miles southwest of the town of Aberaeron & 2 miles northeast of the village of Llanarth) & Pontyberem (a village & community situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire). We purchased it from a Welsh dealer.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Mary’s stunning sampler for sale by taking it from its original frame & removing the surface dust using a conservation vacuum clearer. It has then been stitched onto complementary fresh linen which rests on cotton wadding glued to an acid free mount. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the veneer waxed. Finally, the sampler has been re-presented in its frame behind the original period pine backing secured by stainless steel panel pins & sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to the original period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 76x87x3cm
Ref: S20