Finally, after more than a decade we can add a previously unknown piece to the Broek in Waterland group of samplers. The samplers coming from this petite village are among the most remarkable and most important samplers ever produced in the Netherlands. The sampler was made by Neeltje Frans Kat(s) in 1692-1693. It has verses, the distinctive church, the hearts and crosses, a central Maria pattern, the fighting dogs, the housemarks and so much more. And of course the row of ba

This fine Dutch darning sampler was hiding some interesting history. It was made by Catharina van Erven in 1831, a shoemakers daughter. She wrought her full name and put plenty of initials of possible family on her piece.To 'read' the sampler, the bottom row of initials was important to determine the right girl with the right sets of initials. It turned out that Catharina was born in 1815 in Goirle, a village near Tilburg in the province of Brabant. IVE stands for her father