Cross-Stitch Sampler

Ira Blount · 1991

By the eighteenth century, needlework samplers containing moral and religious verses had become popular. Artist Ira Blount (1918-2020) draws from this earlier tradition in his embroidered piece featuring a fruit tree and text reading “Hear and learn to be silent, be silent and learn to understand, understand and learn to remember.” The end of the sentence is further punctuated by two black birds flanking a gold crown. The image, “wrought” by Blount in 1991, shares an enduring message about the importance of thoughtful listening.