Woolley & Wallis Auction Samplers * 5 April

There are 28 lovely samplers in the upcoming Woolley and Wallis Auction to be held at the Salisbury Salerooms on 5 April. Click here to see them all. The first Lot 103 is this George II sampler, worked by M Woods in 1759, it displays features of the Norwich School - cartouches lions and shaded pines. It measures 5.5 x 8in (14 x 20.5cm)and has some holes and losses. Estimate is £150-£250.

I love the fabulous freely stitched florals on this sampler together with the verse reading around the frame: WISE INSTRUCTIONS PRIZE FAR MORE THAN TREASURES FROM THE INDIAN SHORE. A George III verse sampler, by Catherine Elam MDCCLXVIII (1768), done at Nottingham, worked Psalm XIX, with a trailing floral border. In good condition, it measures 12.5 x 10in (32 x 25.5cm)and is Lot 106 with an estimate of £250-£350.

The item above is a George III stitched Perpetual Almanack circa 1789 worked by Ann Smorthwaite at Kirkby Lonsdale School, just outside the Lake District. It is interesting that printed perpetual almanacs had a tax of fifteen pence imposed on them in 1710 to fund the war effort. In 1789, this tax was increased to a prohibitive 10 shillings. Howeever, there was no tax on stitched almanacs. This is lot 110 measuring 13.5 x 12.75in (34 x 32cm) with an estimate of £500-600.

This sweet Regency sampler was worked by Sarah Grigg, Aged 12 Years AD 1821and has two children two children, the boy holding berries and the girl with a squirrel on her shoulder, flanked by birds, insects and plants, above the alphabet, numbers and verse. It measures 16 x 12.75in (40.5 x 32.5cm) and has some minor damage. It is Lot 119 with an estimate of £500-600.

Lot 123 is a William IV sampler by Alice Angove Aged 11 Years, Finished July the 15th Anno Domini 1836. It depicts Jesus and Rebecca at the Well with verse above, below a further verse 'To my Honoured Parents', flanked by angels holding crowns, girls with dogs on leads and chairs under trees, the base with shepherd and shepherdess with sheep and floral border. It measures 19 x 12.5in (48 x 32cm). There are some losses to ground and some stitching loose, background slightly grubby. The estimate is £600-800.

Happy Bidding!

Springtime thoughts for Japan - may your days be growing brighter.