Indian Textile Printing Block

A crowd of paisleys jostles inside a wavy outline, floating on a slim stand.

This carved wood textile printing block is from Varanasi, India, and dates to the 20th century. Printing blocks are usually carved from a dense, fine-grained wood, because the design must hold sharp edges through many repeated impressions. An irregular, scalloped-edged plaque carved edge to edge with small teardrop motifs and scrolling fill. A scattering of tiny drilled holes dots the face. It is mounted upright on a thin black rod and flat base. It is 5.5 inches wide, 2 deep and 5 high.

Pattern this busy needed a stand to keep it calm.