Lot 501
  • 501

Rare Needlework Sampler, signed Margaret Palfrey, Boston, Massachusetts, Dated 1739

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description

  • silk and linen
  • Height 12 1/4 in. by width 8 in.
  • dated 1739
Executed in silk stitches on a linen ground, with a verse in horizontal registers; Initialed and dated MP, A et Thirteen, 1739.



 

Provenance

H. Sandor Antiques, as advertised in The Magazine Antiques, November 1963, p.534.

Exhibited

American Needlework Treasures: Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection of Betty Ring at the Museum of American Folk Art in New York (pictured fig. 5, pg. 4)

Condition

Some minor mellowing of linen; some thread loss on lower branches of lower trees; frame not original.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Margaret Palfrey was eighth among the twelve children of Boston sailmaker William Palfrey (1682-1766) and Abigail Briscow. She was born November 12, 1725; she married feltmaker William Cunningham (1722-1755) in the New South Church on November 15, 1744, and died before her father wrote his will on April 1, 1766. She had five children.