A Rare 1790/92 Shaped Polychrome Silk Map Sampler Of England & Wales By Ann Billings Aged 11-13
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
A rare & sought after silk map sampler in exceptional condition. The shield shape is most unusual & depicts England
& Wales in incredibly fine detail. Ireland, Scotland & France’s position are also indicated. The whole is finished in a
highly decorative wavy floral border in still very vibrant gold, blue, green & pink thread. 18th century provenance &
frame linking Ann to ‘Illston’ possibly - Illston on the Hill in Leicestershire?
Additional Comments
The hand-written provenance detailed to the back of the frame is excellent. We know that Ann lived for 54 years,
never married, that her parents were called John &; Mary - & can infer that she stitched this remarkable piece aged
no more than 13 years old! As also indicated, the frame is thought to be circa 40 years old with the mount believed
to be close to 100 years of antiquity.
What is generally regarded as the first geography text appeared in 1625 (‘Geography delineated forth in two
bookes’) & it is against this background that from the 1770’s onwards a fashion emerged for the working of map
samplers in schools. These were seen not only as exercises in stitching but also an acceptable means of teaching
geography to young ladies! This sampler clearly fits well into this historical context. Apart from being highly
decorative, this is a fantastic piece of social history – it is especially interesting to see how the names of some of the
oceans depicted have changed. The sampler has superb, vibrant colour retention & no losses to the ground (apart
from just one small areas of loss to the very top). Rarely, the black lettering has suffered no bleeding.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Ann’s charming sampler for sale by taking the back off its 20th century frame & removing the dust
using a conservation vacuum clearer. It was not possible to access the front of the sampler without risk of damage to
the sampler. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the frame waxed. Finally, the sampler’s
backing has been re-secured using stainless steel panel pins & re-sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The
piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to new period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 48x56x4cm
Ref: S19
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
A rare & sought after silk map sampler in exceptional condition. The shield shape is most unusual & depicts England
& Wales in incredibly fine detail. Ireland, Scotland & France’s position are also indicated. The whole is finished in a
highly decorative wavy floral border in still very vibrant gold, blue, green & pink thread. 18th century provenance &
frame linking Ann to ‘Illston’ possibly - Illston on the Hill in Leicestershire?
Additional Comments
The hand-written provenance detailed to the back of the frame is excellent. We know that Ann lived for 54 years,
never married, that her parents were called John &; Mary - & can infer that she stitched this remarkable piece aged
no more than 13 years old! As also indicated, the frame is thought to be circa 40 years old with the mount believed
to be close to 100 years of antiquity.
What is generally regarded as the first geography text appeared in 1625 (‘Geography delineated forth in two
bookes’) & it is against this background that from the 1770’s onwards a fashion emerged for the working of map
samplers in schools. These were seen not only as exercises in stitching but also an acceptable means of teaching
geography to young ladies! This sampler clearly fits well into this historical context. Apart from being highly
decorative, this is a fantastic piece of social history – it is especially interesting to see how the names of some of the
oceans depicted have changed. The sampler has superb, vibrant colour retention & no losses to the ground (apart
from just one small areas of loss to the very top). Rarely, the black lettering has suffered no bleeding.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Ann’s charming sampler for sale by taking the back off its 20th century frame & removing the dust
using a conservation vacuum clearer. It was not possible to access the front of the sampler without risk of damage to
the sampler. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the frame waxed. Finally, the sampler’s
backing has been re-secured using stainless steel panel pins & re-sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The
piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to new period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 48x56x4cm
Ref: S19
A better price may be available. Please enquire below.
Description
A rare & sought after silk map sampler in exceptional condition. The shield shape is most unusual & depicts England
& Wales in incredibly fine detail. Ireland, Scotland & France’s position are also indicated. The whole is finished in a
highly decorative wavy floral border in still very vibrant gold, blue, green & pink thread. 18th century provenance &
frame linking Ann to ‘Illston’ possibly - Illston on the Hill in Leicestershire?
Additional Comments
The hand-written provenance detailed to the back of the frame is excellent. We know that Ann lived for 54 years,
never married, that her parents were called John &; Mary - & can infer that she stitched this remarkable piece aged
no more than 13 years old! As also indicated, the frame is thought to be circa 40 years old with the mount believed
to be close to 100 years of antiquity.
What is generally regarded as the first geography text appeared in 1625 (‘Geography delineated forth in two
bookes’) & it is against this background that from the 1770’s onwards a fashion emerged for the working of map
samplers in schools. These were seen not only as exercises in stitching but also an acceptable means of teaching
geography to young ladies! This sampler clearly fits well into this historical context. Apart from being highly
decorative, this is a fantastic piece of social history – it is especially interesting to see how the names of some of the
oceans depicted have changed. The sampler has superb, vibrant colour retention & no losses to the ground (apart
from just one small areas of loss to the very top). Rarely, the black lettering has suffered no bleeding.
Conservation & Restoration
We have prepared Ann’s charming sampler for sale by taking the back off its 20th century frame & removing the dust
using a conservation vacuum clearer. It was not possible to access the front of the sampler without risk of damage to
the sampler. All components of the frame have been thoroughly cleaned & the frame waxed. Finally, the sampler’s
backing has been re-secured using stainless steel panel pins & re-sealed with self-adhesive picture framing tape. The
piece is ready to hang using new (double) picture string attached to new period eyes.
Framed Dimensions (W, H & D): 48x56x4cm
Ref: S19