Fabric printing block

Fabric printing stamps are wooden blocks that were used to cover the surface of materials with patterns by hand. The fabrics were decorated by dyers and book printers. Often, they made the printing blocks by themselves or cooperated with carpenters, who sometimes also specialised in decorating textiles with designs. The ornaments covering the blocks were often inspired by expensive precious fabrics. Printed fabrics became their substitute from the very moment they appeared in Europe, as – unlike the expensive satins or brocades – they were affordable for the wider public. The ethnographic collection of the National Museum in Szczecin contains over one hundred textile printing blocks. The stamp on display comes from the collection of the Pommersches Landesmuseum Stettin. It is covered with a floral ornament made with woodcarving technique. The design consists of four twigs with small, lanceolate leaves placed in fields of an irregular grid formed by lines carved into the surface of the block. The twigs are depicted in a simplified way without any specific species in mind which was a common practice in textile printing. These types of ornaments made entirely in wood were in time enriched with metal pins and plates, which made it possible to obtain a design with finer, more sophisticated details.