Indian Textile Printing Block

Tangled blossoms and a feathery spray crowd the face with no spare corner.

This carved wood textile printing block is from Varanasi, India, and dates to the 20th century. Varanasi is a long-established center of textile work in India, known for silk weaving and for cloth decorated by hand with carved wooden blocks. A wide, shallow slab with a gently arched top edge. The carved face is dense with small flowers, leaves and curling stems that sweep toward a central plume. The finish is matte, blackened and softly rubbed at the high points. It is 7 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 3 high.

Horror vacui, but with a very steady gouge.