Recently, we had a guest in the studio who brought in a sampler for May to examine and possibly get some advice about its condition. The sampler is something of a family heirloom and in 1980 her mother had the piece repaired and framed. It was in good condition and there were not any serious issues to be concerned with.
During examination, however, May noticed that the sampler had been mounted on rather an interesting piece of board … At the owner‘s request May removed the backing paper and exposed what appeared to be a rural portrait of a man in a flat cap!
The owner explained that her father was an amateur painter and he was in fact the artist. Furthermore, the subject may have been an occasional model in his portraiture studies. How incredible to discover this additional layer to the object’s story!