Bidspirit auction | Dated 1715 Queen Anne Alphabet

Dated 1715 Queen Anne Alphabet and Verse Needlework Sampler by Sarah Clarke - This Queen Anne period needlework sampler is executed in silk or wool embroidery threads on a fine woven linen ground. The piece follows a vertical band format common to the early 18th century and is organized into distinct horizontal sections divided by decorative geometric borders. The sampler features multiple alphabets in various scripts, numeric sequences, and several religious verses. The name of the maker and the date are repeated throughout the work. The top section contains a verse from Psalm 111:10 regarding the fear of the Lord. The middle sections include a verse from the book of Psalms and a cautionary religious poem beginning with the line ”IF CHRIST THOU KNOW IT WILL SUFFICE”. Below this are additional alphabets in block and eyelet stitch. The lower-middle section features a faded yellow-thread verse beginning ”Love Not The World Nor The Things That Therein Are”. The bottom sections include a red-thread verse beginning ”IF THOU IN GOD PLACE THY DELIGHT” and a final blue-thread verse regarding the commandments. The name Sarah Clarke is legibly embroidered in several locations: at the end of the third verse section, the fifth verse section, the sixth verse section, and finally in the bottom border. This bottom border bears the comprehensive inscription: ”Sarah Clarkes sampler Finisht March 2 1715”. The textile is housed in a rectangular bird's-eye maple veneer frame with a secondary gilt inner liner under glass. The reverse features a dark-stained wood backboard composed of two horizontal planks secured by small nails, with a hanging cord and a metal twisted-rope component attached to the right side of the frame. Height: 20 1/4 inches Width: 10 3/8 inches. The linen ground shows overall toning and age-related browning (photo 1). There is significant fading to the embroidery threads, particularly the yellow and blue portions in the lower-middle and bottom sections (photo 4, photo 5). Minor rippling and small stains are visible on the fabric surface. The bird's-eye maple frame exhibits wear, scuffs, and minor losses to the veneer at the corners (photo 6). The wooden backboard has a visible horizontal split across the center (photo 8).