Indian Textile Printing Block

Narrow, upright slab covered edge to edge in tiny printed patterns, standing on a rod.

This carved wood textile printing block is from Varanasi, India, and dates to the 20th century. Block printing is done by pressing a carved wooden block, coated with dye or paste, onto cloth, and the block can be reused to repeat a motif. Tall dark rectangular block with a wavy top edge, mounted on a thin black rod and square base. Its face is tightly carved with a central row of leaf-like motifs and fine borders of dots and lines. It is 4 inches wide, 4 deep and 9.5 high.

Every inch of it is busy, and it knows it.