Cotton sampler, embroidered with silk and cotton; Moroccan; 19th century.

Silk embroidery on cotton, with double running and satin stitches. The whole field is covered with a large series of the various motives commonly found in Fez embroidery in a large range of colours, including the characteristic mauve of Morocco. A popular motif is the sloping leaf; several varieties of this occur singly and also combined with the border and edging patterns, among which a kind of lozenge zigzag is prominent. Rectangular and starry devices also occur. The various motifs are not in any way symmetrically arranged, but scattered haphazardly over the field. On one side a narrow strip rather later in date has been added, but the stitches and patterns hardly differ from those in the main field.

Registered File number 1929/10057.

In their earliest form, samplers were put together by embroiderers as personal reference works. They showed trials of patterns and stitches that had been copied from other embroideries. They were records of particular effects achieved that could be re-created again. In England and elsewhere in Europe in the 17th century samplers developed into a method of instruction and practice for girls learning needlework. Moroccan samplers of the 19th century like this one recall the early function of European samplers as collections of designs and stitch effects. Their randomly placed patterns were suitable for the decoration of household linen and clothing.

T.150-1929