Vintage Hand-Carved Wooden Printing Block – Mixed Motif Pigment Border

Four distinct rows run across this block, diagonal ridges, X-shaped diamonds, wavy chevrons, and simple rectangular studs, each row a different motif rather than a single repeating pattern. Traces of deep purple-red natural dye still cling to the wood in one section, genuine pigment residue left over from decades of active printing use.

That surviving color is a rare and valuable detail, most blocks lose all trace of the dyes they once carried. Combined with its varied, almost sampler-like rows, this piece offers real documentary value alongside its visual interest.