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Blaudruck cloth and printing blocks
A patterned tablecloth and blocks recall Sudeten textile-printing workshops.
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Workshops in the Sudeten region dyed and printed linen by hand. Their work is represented by printing blocks and a tablecloth decorated with such tools, known as Blaudruck. The tool and finished textile show two stages of the same craft. The nineteenth-century block on display has a wooden base. Its pattern combines shapes carved into the wood with small nails driven into it. Floral motifs were assembled from different elements, adapting the material of the tool to the design intended for the cloth.
The Lower Silesian tablecloth dates to the nineteenth century. White patterns stand out against a dark blue ground. Its composition includes a star, leaves, grapes and flowers. Plant motifs surround the centre, while a lace-like design frames the edges. Printing complemented the region’s thriving weaving trade. Cloth was woven for household use and also as cottage-industry production for sale. In the Sudeten mountains and foothills, this work supported entire villages. During the first half of the twentieth century, the growing textile industry contributed to the decline of the older craft.
Para niños
Blaudruck is the name of the printed cloth shown here. The tablecloth is dark blue with white patterns. It was made in Lower Silesia in the nineteenth century and carries flowers, grapes, leaves and a star.
The display also contains printing tools. Designs were carved into wooden blocks, with some details made from small nails. Sudeten workshops dyed and printed linen by hand. Many families also earned a living by weaving cloth for sale. Growing textile factories reduced the importance of older workshops during the first half of the twentieth century.
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