The original sampler is of English origin and most probably from the 19th century. It includes the text of a psalm:

Create in me a clean heart, oh God

And renew a right spirit within me

(Psalm 51)

When Meriem Chauvet of Couleur Tourterelle found it, the original sampler (see last photo) was in a pitiful state of preservation, terribly damaged, warped, torn and roughly mended. This reproduction brings the work back to life, allowing us to discover its original freshness, "a pleasure that I never tire of" Meriem confides.

While neither dated nor signed, this sampler is remarkable for its unusual elongated vertical format. It is composed of small charming motifs, birds, flowers, crowns, a basket of fruit as well as an intriguing little architectural motif in the top left, with colonnades and a classical pediment, topped with a flag. 

At the base of the sampler , the stitcher added two small lines "Love God" and "Jesus wept". The latter is notable for being the shortest verse in the Bible. It is from the Gospel of John, when Jesus weeps upon learning of the death of his friend and follower Lazarus.

The piece is mostly stitched over two threads. All letters and one of the motifs however are stitched over 1 thread.