At the age of ten years, Elizabeth Broomhead stitched this nearly pristine and colorful English sampler, which was never framed which accounts for its brilliant color and condition. Titled “On the Crucifixion of our Saviour and the Two Thieves” three crosses extend almost the entire length of the sampler with carefully plotted verses worked in and around them to create verses both horizontally and vertically. Fantastic flowers and leaves surround all four sides as well as the inner cartouche. Flying cherubs, a trumpeting angel, stags and birds are stitched in exquisite satin, stem, petit point, cross, long and short, back and straight stitches, including silk chenille at the base of each cross. The vertical letters in each cross spell out these phrases:

Lord remember me when thou comest in to thy kingdom
WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME
If thou art the Christ save thyself and us

Apart from puckering of the linen and some losses around the edges (which do not interfere with the stitched design) the sampler is in excellent condition. As the photos reveal, it was stitched through a separate piece of linen presumably for additional stability. 21″ x 21″,

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