Embroidered darning sampler
Unknown Artist
1751
Medium
Linen on linen
Dimensions
9 1/4 × 12 5/8 in. (23.5 × 32.1 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
Dutch
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Collection of Mrs. Lathrop Colgate Harper, Bequest of Mabel Herbert Harper, 1957
Accession Number
57.122.595
Art Historical Context
Step into the meticulous world of 18th-century Dutch domestic arts with this *Embroidered darning sampler* from 1751. Crafted anonymously on linen with fine linen threads, this modest 9¼ × 12⅝-inch piece exemplifies the precision of textile education in the Netherlands during the Enlightenment era. Young girls, often from middle-class families, created such samplers as both skill-building exercises and personal achievements, showcasing their readiness for household management. At its heart, the sampler demonstrates *darning*—a clever embroidery technique that repairs woven fabric by weaving t...