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From the German Sampler Museum in Celle,
Germany.
This sampler was stitched by a young girl from the
northern German region of Vierlande, a small vegetable-growing area
southeast of Hamburg on the Elbe River. The extremely geometrical
arrangement of the motifs is typical of samplers from Vierlande. It is,
however, unusual that this Vierlande sampler was stitched entirely with red
silk, with the exception of Adam and Eve's hair and the serpent, as most
Vierlande samplers are monochromatic black. The red color may have some
symbolic significance in that red is the color of blood and life. The many
variations of flower groupings, some with birds perched on them, and the
miniature Trees of Life, are symbols of Paradise, and the many crowns
symbolize eternal life. Stitches used in the sampler are cross, and double
running.
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