Embroidered map sampler

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Working an embroidered maps such as this sampler became part of a young girl’s education, starting in the 1770s, and continuing until about the 1840s. The map of England and Wales was so popular that printed versions were available to be stitched, which slightly reduces the potential for learning geography, while retaining the importance of practicing neat embroidery. The additional flourish of the floral garland is a charming feature. Other embroidered maps of geographical features were produced, from individual towns and counties, to the entire world in two hemispheres.

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