M. F. Tucher 1696

You can twist it however you want, "MFT 1696" is a fantastic sampler.

The coat of arms belongs to the influential Nuremberg patrician family Tucher. The name is mentioned for the first time in 1309.

I am very grateful to the Nuremberg City Archives for being able to find out who is behind the initials "MFT". Maria Felicitas Tucher (1650 - 1731), the daughter of Johann Georg Tucher (1613 - 1674), at the age of 46 - still unmarried - embroidered this perfectly designed sampler. Baroque floral splendor twines around the family coat of arms, the radiant silk colors have not faded in more than 300 years. Undamaged, it ended up in the possession of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts as part of the Elisabeth Day McCormick Collection (inventory number 43,962).

Who were these Tuchers?

• Between 1340 and 1806 the Tuchers were represented in the inner council of the imperial city of Nuremberg as an influential patrician family.
• In the 14th century the prestige of the family grew through conjugal connections.
• In the 15th century they made contact with wealthy merchant families and set up the "Tuchersche Handelsgesellschaft".
• At the end of the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, they maintained trade connections throughout Europe - including in the saffron trade - and were among the wealthiest merchant families in the city.
• In 1598, the Tuchers acquired the SIMMELSDORF manor as their headquarters and from then on called themselves Tucher von Simmelsdorf, thereby becoming knights.
• This addition was recognized in 1697 by Emperor Leopold as a title of nobility. The acquisition of possessions continued.
• The family provided mayors, diplomats, merchants in Antwerp, master builders and a canon law professor. Albrecht Dürer painted three family members in 1499. From 1961 to 1989, Dürer's image of a clother adorned the 20-DM note in the Federal Republic of Germany.
• In 1855 Siegmund von Tucher acquired the royal brewery. It remained a private brewery until 1898.
• The "Tucherschloss" - the former residence of the family - is now a museum for the history of the Nuremberg merchant dynasties.

Crosses: 166 x 214

Size: 23.5*30.5cm

Stitches:
cross stitch