The Middelburg darning sampler of Petronella de Timmerman was brought to my attention by Mrs Josefien Sjoerds who saw it at a small...

It might be too early for Holy Thursday, but this image of the Last Supper I simply wanted to share with you now. It is an rather unique pattern found on a 1755 band sampler. The girl (ADK?) included additional biblical stories. For example, an angel without a flaming sword preparing to expel Adam and Eve from paradise, a gate of Holy Jerusalem, the Crucifixion with the Arma Christi featuring the figures and names of the bad thief (Jesmas or Gestas) and the good thief (Disma

Look at this: one of the oldest dated Dutch samplers around! The sampler was finished by Maertghin Cornelis in 1638. Only a handful of Dutch samplers are dated earlier than this one. The sampler is part of one of the most important groups of Dutch samplers: the Broek-samplers or Broekdoeken. The sampler has not (yet) a tower or church, neither a pious verse, but otherwise it has the distinctive crosses, bands and other patterns. The large cross with peacocks in each end must