Set of Large Wooden Printing Blocks

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

Though the printing press is said to have been invented in China, it never offered as great efficiencies to the culture as it did to those in Europe due to the near endless numbers of Chinese characters and the labor involved in manipulating them.

Enclosed in a contemporary wooden frame, each of the miniature wood blocks included in this early 20th-century type set was hand-carved with a Chinese character. Each is a unique and wonderful curiosity, providing an unusual look at a moment in time.

Each set contains approximately 25 individual tiles.
Each tile measures approximately 3/4"