The study of the woodcut printing blocks in display in Izmir Ethnographical Museum

The aim of this research is the study of the woodcut printing blocks that are in display in İzmir Ethnographical Museum, the materials used in their production, design types, block varieties and composition characteristics by means of the information gathered from the inventory information forms and their illustrations. Desciptive scanning model is adopted in the research according to which the objects in question are studied as they are without any effort of alteration and manipulation. The woodcut printing blocks in İzmir Ethnographical Museum constitute the scope of the research. There are about 127 blocks in display which are taken as the sample. With the aim of data collecting, an information record (tag) is prepared for each of the woodcut printing blocks. The record is organized to hold information of the museum inventory and according to the subaims of the research. The findings are interpreted in the form of tables to yield frequency (f) and percentage (%) information and suggestions are made. At the end of the research, it is observed that the woodcut printing blocks in display in İzmir Ethnographical Museum contain a majority of plant motifs, and are classified functionally as contour moulds. Regarding the information gathered from the information forms, the blocks are included in the inventory through donations or buying and are carved out of wood from linden trees. Key Words: Woodcut Blocks, Natural Dying, Hand-painted Kerchiefs, İzmir Ethnographical Museum.