Sampler with verse "Sweet labourer midst the Summer's golden hour..." with floral wreath in center enclosing inscription, "Eliza Evans aged 12 years" and with floral border flanked by two verses; worked in cross and back stitches.

Broad white stripes, separated by narrower brown stripes, on the white stripes are apple and orange blossoms; on the brown stripes, roses.  The design is printed with red, yellow, green, and light blue.

The white ground is covered with a fine design of stems and berries, on this are brown stripes, with red and brown and white geraniums, poppies, lilies, asters, etc.  Pieced.

This object is from the collection of Natalia de Shabelsky (1841-1905), a Russian noblewoman compelled to preserve what she perceived as the vanishing folk art traditions of her native country. Traveling extensively throughout Great Russia, she collected many fine examples of textile art of the wealthy peasant class. From the 1870s until moving to France in 1902, Shabelsky amassed a large collection of intricately embroidered hand-woven household textiles and opulent festival garments with rich decoration and elaborate motifs. The Brooklyn Museum holdings include many fine examples including the majority of the garments. Portions of Shabelsky's collection are also housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg.This towel end is unique in that it represents an aspect of everyday life rather than mythology. Russian bed curtains and towels were not only used for decorative purposes, but also provided an important role in ceremony. Bed curtains often adorned sleighs for weddings or carnival processions. Towels were draped over mirrors, trees, and temples, hung on walls, or used as offerings to the church in addition to their traditional uses.

1801 / 1825

1801 / 1825