Stitches

What is the meaning of the "Boxer" motif on traditional needlework samplers?

Arts & Crafts question.

Public Comments

1. Here's what I found Boxers: these are strange little figures, usually in pairs facing each other separated by a floral emblem, and usually holding "trophies" in their hands. They may be clad or unclad, and appeared most frequently on seventeenth century samplers. Their name derives from their stance, and is of fairly recent origin. There has been much discussion on their origins, which some believe may be derived from Greek or Roman versions of Renaissance Cupids. Another theory is that they may be a corrupted version of a very old design either of two lovers exchanging gifts. or of a young girl being offered the choice of a young lover or an elderly suitor; copying from one version to another over the years may have caused the original meaning to be lost, and the girl has metamorphosed in to a large floral decoration and her lovers into the ambiguous boxers.