Vintage / Antique Indian Textile Printing Block 

~Nice Decorative Wall Piece!~

~Welcome to my auction for this decorative, wall hanging printing block~

This is a nice piece of vintage Indian wall art, or it would make a nice coffee table piece.

The item started life as a carved printing block, probably for textile printing - the item is quite heavy and appears to be made of a type of exotic hardwood.

The front side has been carved with flower and leaf designs, probably motifs taken from the indigenous flora in the surrounding area that it was made in.

The reverse side has had a wall mounting loop retrospectively set into the wood for easy wall hanging.

These types of vintage print blocks have been popular for a while now as art pieces - there are countless designs available, some with chased designs such as this example, and some with relief carving.

Dating such items accurately is difficult as the wood cut printing technique dates back centuries, and no doubt pieces like this would of been used over a long period of time.

I would suspect this probably dates from the mid 20th century but it could be much older - well known companies like Scaramanga call similar items 'antique' implying they are 100 years old or more, and they may well be right, although they fall short of actually giving any indication of a date of manufacture.

The item measures approximately 15cm x 14.6cm x 3.7cm - the total unpacked weight is 567g.

The condition of the item is good and solid, but as you'd expect of a utilitarian piece, there are signs of use and wear.

The front side has darkened to an almost black colour from having been inked and re-inked over a good period of time.

The reverse side is much lighter and there are a few holes in the wood - these aren't woodworm holes, they are simply where the design has carved or drilled through from the front - if you hold it up to the light you can see through these tiny holes.

Some of the edges and corners have had pieces of wood chipped off them, just from the very act of it being used - these chips show as the lighter areas in the images.

All in all, it's a really nice decorative piece that is ready to hang!

Please study the images provided to satisfy yourself as to the condition of the item - if you have any further questions please ask and I'll be happy to oblige.

Postage to U.K. addresses is £4.50 (signed for) - postage to international addresses is £14.95 (tracked / signed for).

Thanks for looking!