Sampler
Object name
Maker
Date made
1778
Place made
Description
Sampler made by Mar. Thurston in Norfolk, England in 1778.
Content description
Sampler worked on unbleached linen with silk threads, made by Mar. Thurston in Norfolk, England in 1778. The sampler is worked in cross stitches and square eyelets (pulled thread) in silk. The sampler, which is symmetrical, features at its top three alphabets and a set of numerals 1-10. There are three moralistic verses on the sampler, separated by floral bands. Other motifs include strawberries, pairs of dogs, pine trees, and a variety of flowers. The top verse reads, 'Virtue the brightest Gem a Maid can wear/Nor can the Indies boast of one so fair/All Jewells far below Its worth we find/They but adorn the Body This the Mind' and is flanked by pine trees. The source of this verse has not yet been found, though it does appear on several other samplers.
The second verse, separated from the previous one by a line of tulips, reads, 'Next unto God dear Parents I address/My self to you in humble Thankfulness/For all your Care and Charge on me bestowed/The Means of Learning unto me allowd/Go on I pray and let me still Pursue/Those golden Arts the Vulgar never knew'. This verse comes from William Mather's 1695 The Young Man's Companion, a later edition of his 1682 book with additional verses. The final verse on the sampler reads, 'May God bless them that gave me This/And crown them with everlasting Bliss', the source of which has not yet been found. This verse has been separated from the previous one with a band of stylised carnations.
At the bottom of the sampler is a line of ovals. In the centre oval is the maker's name, 'Mar. Thurston', and the year she made her sampler, 1778. It is not possible to determine if Mar. is short for Mary, Maria, Mariah, or Marianne. The first and fifth ovals have deer and the second and fourth have flowers growing out of vases. These ovals, with their flanking deer, suggest that this sampler was made in Norfolk, which for centuries had a distinct sampler aesthetic.
The second verse, separated from the previous one by a line of tulips, reads, 'Next unto God dear Parents I address/My self to you in humble Thankfulness/For all your Care and Charge on me bestowed/The Means of Learning unto me allowd/Go on I pray and let me still Pursue/Those golden Arts the Vulgar never knew'. This verse comes from William Mather's 1695 The Young Man's Companion, a later edition of his 1682 book with additional verses. The final verse on the sampler reads, 'May God bless them that gave me This/And crown them with everlasting Bliss', the source of which has not yet been found. This verse has been separated from the previous one with a band of stylised carnations.
At the bottom of the sampler is a line of ovals. In the centre oval is the maker's name, 'Mar. Thurston', and the year she made her sampler, 1778. It is not possible to determine if Mar. is short for Mary, Maria, Mariah, or Marianne. The first and fifth ovals have deer and the second and fourth have flowers growing out of vases. These ovals, with their flanking deer, suggest that this sampler was made in Norfolk, which for centuries had a distinct sampler aesthetic.
Dimensions
width: 36cm
height: 55.5cm
height: 55.5cm
Materials
Stitches
Motifs
Catalogue number
RSN.1232
© Royal School of Needlework