Sampler with needle lace and cutwork

Sarah Thral

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pure white work samplers such as this one have survived in smaller numbers than their more colorful counterparts. But while this example may lack the immediate visual impact of a contemporary polychrome band sampler, closer inspection rewards the viewer who studies the technical skill deployed by Sara Thral, particularly in the creation of her own name in lace stitches.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art