Indian Textile Printing Block

Flowers and leaves crowd every inch, with barely room for a pinhole.

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. On inspection, a nearly square slab carved edge to edge with small blossoms, serrated leaves and winding stems. A few tiny white-ringed holes pierce the face. The outline is a little ragged at the corners, and the surface is a dry black. It is 6 inches wide, 6 deep and 3 high.

A meadow in miniature, mown flat and inked.