Early 20th C Indian Vintage Printing Roller

There’s something unexpectedly modern about this.
 
Originally made in India as a printing roller, the wooden cylinder is covered with individually applied printing elements, arranged into a loose repeat of striped geometric forms. It was a working tool, designed to transfer pattern rather than to be looked at in its own right.
 
Removed from that purpose, though, it becomes something else entirely. Standing nearly like a column, the repetition, negative space and slightly irregular geometry feel remarkably modern — somewhere between an industrial object and a piece of abstract sculpture.
 
Dating to around the first half to mid-20th century, its working life is still very much visible in the worn wood, darkened ends and marks left across the surface.
 
Sculpture as it is. Or, with a little intervention, possibly the beginnings of a rather good lamp.
 
Due to the size and weight, this item cannot be shipped through the website: Opto Special Delivery for details.
 
Condition: Excellent
Size: H 61cm x W 11cm