Handheld Ink Block

Chinese innovations in ink, block printing and movable type fed the technological push toward expanding the written word's range of influence throughout the world. This printing push evolved out of Chinese Buddhism which embraced woodblock printing as an important vehicle to spread sutras and good spirits.

This early 20th-century handheld wood block reads "Institute of Agriculture" (农科所) and would have been used to quickly print hanging signs. Carved in reverse, the characters have a graphic, decorative quality and offer a unique glimpse of the past.