Samplers @ Auction and A Warning

There are some charming, interesting and affordable samplers coming up for auction in the next few days. Here is the first - it is Lot 51 for auction on 11 July 2013 at David Lay Auctions. It is a George III coloured silk stitch sampler by Sarah Loosemore dated 1813 with verse and with a finely stitched foliate border, within birds eye maple frame. It measures 33cm x 39cm and has an estimate of £200 - £250. Click here for more details.

Lot 2921 for auction at Tooveys on 10 July 2013 is an early Victorian needlework sampler by Naomi Stokes dated August 5th 1843 which is worked with a pious verse, titled `Looking to Christ`, within a border of flowering tendrils. It measures approx 46cm x 42cm and is mounted with a card border. The estimate for this sampler is £40 - £60. Click here for more details.

Also at Tooveys on 10 July 2013 is Lot 2925 - a group of 4 samplers including an 18th Century needlework band sampler (bottom right) signed Elizabeth Brown, Her Sampler When She Marked the 1_ Year of Her Age and in the Year 1736, worked with coloured threads mainly in cross stitch. It measures approx 23cm x 19cm and is mounted on a board, together with a George IV marking sampler (bottom Left), a Dutch pattern-darning sampler by a girl of 12 dated 1825 and a continental red and white sampler. The estimate for all 4 is  £60 - £100. Click here for more details.

And finally here is the warning. Do take care to read all descriptions carefully and go back to the auction house and ask for a condition report if there is no statement given in the web details. Auction houses are not always good at discerning modern replica samplers from antique samplers, again do look carefully and ask for more pictures which might give you clues as to the samplers real age, if that is important to you. The sampler pictured above in the Sheppards Auction - Lot 1400 on 9 July 2013 is described clearly as a Print of a sampler framed but this might be overlooked in the thrill of seeing such a pretty sampler with a low estimate of €40 - €60. For more details about this auction, click here.