EARLY 19TH CENTURY DOUBLE HOUSE, MOTIF & VERSE SAMPLER BY MARTHA GILES - 1819 For Sale

Early 19th century linen and silk work sampler by Martha Giles aged 12 - 1819. This quirky sampler is just delightful with fine quality stitch work throughout. The upper section of the linen is stitched with three rows of alphabet letters and numbers, each underlined with a different example of border pattern with a charming two storey house centrally below with a bird on both gable ends and a woman, reminiscent of a character out of a Tim Burton film! standing in the shade of an arched tree standing to either side of its walls. The following two verses are stitched beside the woman, the one to the left somewhat cynical for someone of such a tender age and the right one unfinished which I will complete for ease of reading
FriendshipAnd what is friendship but a name, a charme that lulls to sleepA shade that follows wealth or fame but leaves the wretch to weep~~~~~~~~~Martha Giles is my name and with my needle I wrought the sameAnd by my learning...(you may see what care my parents take of me)
The middle section of the gauze is stitched with a central Tree of Knowledge, complete with entwined serpent with Adam and Eve replaced by a fruit bush. The Tree has two tulips above and a floral swag below containing Martha's name with an impressive two storey country house below with an arched tree to either side. The pathway of the house has flowers and a tree basket plus bird to each side, all underlined with a Greek key border. The lower section of the linen is stitched with a central flower basket with a crown lion, fruit tree, heart and lion to its left and right, whilst Martha's name, the date of 1819 and Martha's age run across the bottom edge. The whole piece is then surrounded by a meandering line border.
The linen has overall discolouration consistent with its age with a few patches of faint staining, several old darning repairs and stitched down areas of damage, all undertaken a fair while ago by the look of them. One is able to see through the damage that the sampler is sitting on a later backing cloth. The sampler is behindglass so I'm not able to see the reverse, but the coloursof the silks appear good though they are likely to have mellowed to some extent over the years. There is also a small amount of bleeding to the stitch work of Martha's age. There is also the odd stitch missing on the repaired/damaged areas. The sampler is contained within a substantial early 20th century oak frame with gilt slip, the latter retaining much of its original gilding. The frame is in good condition with some scratches and scuff marks commensurate with its age.
PLEASE NOTE - This is a fairly large piece measuring 12 3/4" x 20 3/4" (sight size) and 17 1/4" x 25" overall.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT I HAVE USED A RELATIVELY NEW CAMERA TO TAKE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS AND I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE COLOUR BALANCE (something I'm STILL continuing to work on!!) AS SUCH, SOME OF MY PHOTOS APPEAR SOMEWHAT DARK OR HAVE A SLIGHTLY FIERY OR YELLOWISH LOOK TO THEM WHICH IS NOT THE CASE, IT'S JUST MY INCOMPETENCE!
ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK. ALSO PLEASE CHECK OUT THE OTHER SAMPLERS I'M SELLING. I AM HAPPY TO COMBINE POSTAGE ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES.PLEASE NOTE - THIS ITEM IS LOCATED IN THE UK BUT CAN BE SHIPPED TO THE LOCATIONS TICKED IN THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING SECTION.
SHIPPING WILL BE VIA PARCELFORCE OR FEDEX - FULLY TRACKED DELIVERY TO THE USA WITHIN FIVE WORKING DAYS.PLEASE NOTE - I WILL TAPE THE GLASS & PACK THE SAMPLER EXTREMELY WELL, BUT DUE TO ITS SIZE I CANNOT GUARANTEE AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY OF THE GLASS BEING DAMAGED DURING TRANSIT. IF THE BUYER WOULD PREFER FOR IT TO BE REMOVED, I AM HAPPY TO DO SO.