A set of three carved wooden batons from France c.1900

Chinese innovations in ink, block printing, and movable type fueled global advancements in printing technology, expanding the range of influence of the written word. These printing i...

An early 18th Century antique hand carved and polychromed hand painted table crucifix from France with its original patina preserved. This crucifix could possible date back as early ...

Rustic Wooden Spools of Thread, by unknown manufacturer from Spain, circa 1930. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, pre...

Rustic wooden spools of thread, by unknown manufacturer from Spain, circa 1930. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, pre...

Chinese innovations in ink, block printing, and movable type fueled global advancements in printing technology, expanding the range of influence of the written word. These printing innovations can be attributed to Chinese Buddhist devotees, who 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 the same efficiencies to Chinese culture as it did in the West, 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 70 individual tiles.

A set of nine curiosities made in Belgium, circa 1900. Nine metal screens tensed on wooden frames and strengthened with wooden strips, hung through small metal clasps. The dark oxidi...