A brief History
Although experts disagree as to the precise origins of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500 years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Samples have also been found in Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa from past centuries. Although in these countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.
King Kertajasa East Java 1294-1309Although there is mention of 'fabrics highly decorated' in Dutch transcripts from the 17th century, most scholars believe that the intricate Javanese batik designs would only have been possible after the importation of finely woven imported cloth, which was first imported to Indonesia from India around the 1800s and afterwards from Europe beginning in 1815. Textile patterns can be seen on stone statues that are carved on the walls of ancient Javanese temples such as Prambanan (AD 800), however there is no conclusive evidence that the cloth is batik. It could possibly be a pattern that was produced with weaving techniques and not dying. What is clear is that in the 19th century batik became highly developed and was well ingrained in Javanese cultural life.
Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. Certainly it's royal nature was clear as certain patterns were reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan's palace. Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design sense evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who would work under their supervision.
Javanese royalty were known to be great patrons of the arts and provided the support necessary to develop many art forms, such as silver ornamentation, wayang kulit (leather puppets) and gamelan orchestras. In some cases the art forms overlap. The Javanese dalang (puppeteer) not only was responsible for the wayang puppets but was also Tambil Miring Designan important source of batik patterns. Wayang puppets are usually made of goat skin, which is then perforated and painted to create the illusion of clothing on the puppet. Used puppets were often sold to eager ladies who used the puppets as guides for their batik patterns. They would blow charcoal through the holes that define the patterns of clothing on the puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth.
Other scholars disagree that batik was only reserved as an art form for royalty, as they also feel its use was prevalent with the rakyat, the people. It was regarded an important part of a young ladies accomplishment that she be capable of handling a canting (the pen-like instrument used to apply wax to the cloth) with a reasonable amount of skill, certainly as important as cookery and other housewifery arts to Central Javanese women.
Batik comes from Javanese "amba" which means to write and"point". The word refers to the batik cloth with a pattern generated by the material "wax" is applied to the top of the cloth, so that the entry of a material coloring agent (dye), or in the English language "wax-resist dyeing".
Batik is a craft that has a high value of art and has become part culture of Indonesia (particularly Java) since long. The women in Java past the skills to make them in the eye as main, so that in the past to make work is the work exclusively finding women to "Batik Cap" which allows the inclusion of men in this field. There are some exceptions to this phenomenon, namely batik has a coastal line of masculine as can be seen in the pattern "Mega Cloud ", where in some coastal areas is to make work for the common the male.
Variety Batik patterns and colors influenced by various foreign influences. Initially, has multiformity batik pattern and colors are limited, and only a few patterns may be used by certain circles. However, coastal batik absorb various external influences, such as foreign traders and also in the end, the colonizers. Bright colors such as red popularized by the Chinese, who also popularize phoenix pattern. Imperialist European nations also take interest to batik, and the result is a flower pattern the previously unknown (such as tulip flower) and also the things that was brought by colonists (building or horse-drawn carriage), including the colors of their favorite color as blue.
Maintain the traditional batik features, and is still used in ceremonies, traditional ceremony, because usually each have a pattern of symbolism each.
Technique of batik has been known since thousands of years ago. Nothing description of the history is quite clear about the origins of batik. There is a suspect this technique comes from the Sumerian nation, and developed in Java after brought by Indian traders. At this time batik can be found in many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Iran. In addition to the Asia, batik is also very popular in some countries in the African continent. Although Therefore, the batik is very famous in the world is coming from the batik Indonesian, mainly from Java.
The tradition is beginning to make on the tradition from generation to generation, so that occasionally a recognizable motif batik come from a certain family.
Some batik motif can indicate the status of someone. Even at this time, some batik motif tadisional only used by the family palace of Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
Batik is an ancestor heritage of Indonesia (Java), which until now still there. Batik is also the first time introduced to the world by the President Soeharto, who at that time the United Nations Conference on batik.
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Although experts disagree as to the precise origins of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500 years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Samples have also been found in Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa from past centuries. Although in these countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.
King Kertajasa East Java 1294-1309Although there is mention of 'fabrics highly decorated' in Dutch transcripts from the 17th century, most scholars believe that the intricate Javanese batik designs would only have been possible after the importation of finely woven imported cloth, which was first imported to Indonesia from India around the 1800s and afterwards from Europe beginning in 1815. Textile patterns can be seen on stone statues that are carved on the walls of ancient Javanese temples such as Prambanan (AD 800), however there is no conclusive evidence that the cloth is batik. It could possibly be a pattern that was produced with weaving techniques and not dying. What is clear is that in the 19th century batik became highly developed and was well ingrained in Javanese cultural life.
Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. Certainly it's royal nature was clear as certain patterns were reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan's palace. Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design sense evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who would work under their supervision.
Javanese royalty were known to be great patrons of the arts and provided the support necessary to develop many art forms, such as silver ornamentation, wayang kulit (leather puppets) and gamelan orchestras. In some cases the art forms overlap. The Javanese dalang (puppeteer) not only was responsible for the wayang puppets but was also Tambil Miring Designan important source of batik patterns. Wayang puppets are usually made of goat skin, which is then perforated and painted to create the illusion of clothing on the puppet. Used puppets were often sold to eager ladies who used the puppets as guides for their batik patterns. They would blow charcoal through the holes that define the patterns of clothing on the puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth.
Other scholars disagree that batik was only reserved as an art form for royalty, as they also feel its use was prevalent with the rakyat, the people. It was regarded an important part of a young ladies accomplishment that she be capable of handling a canting (the pen-like instrument used to apply wax to the cloth) with a reasonable amount of skill, certainly as important as cookery and other housewifery arts to Central Javanese women.
Batik comes from Javanese "amba" which means to write and"point". The word refers to the batik cloth with a pattern generated by the material "wax" is applied to the top of the cloth, so that the entry of a material coloring agent (dye), or in the English language "wax-resist dyeing".
Batik is a craft that has a high value of art and has become part culture of Indonesia (particularly Java) since long. The women in Java past the skills to make them in the eye as main, so that in the past to make work is the work exclusively finding women to "Batik Cap" which allows the inclusion of men in this field. There are some exceptions to this phenomenon, namely batik has a coastal line of masculine as can be seen in the pattern "Mega Cloud ", where in some coastal areas is to make work for the common the male.
Variety Batik patterns and colors influenced by various foreign influences. Initially, has multiformity batik pattern and colors are limited, and only a few patterns may be used by certain circles. However, coastal batik absorb various external influences, such as foreign traders and also in the end, the colonizers. Bright colors such as red popularized by the Chinese, who also popularize phoenix pattern. Imperialist European nations also take interest to batik, and the result is a flower pattern the previously unknown (such as tulip flower) and also the things that was brought by colonists (building or horse-drawn carriage), including the colors of their favorite color as blue.
Maintain the traditional batik features, and is still used in ceremonies, traditional ceremony, because usually each have a pattern of symbolism each.
Technique of batik has been known since thousands of years ago. Nothing description of the history is quite clear about the origins of batik. There is a suspect this technique comes from the Sumerian nation, and developed in Java after brought by Indian traders. At this time batik can be found in many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Iran. In addition to the Asia, batik is also very popular in some countries in the African continent. Although Therefore, the batik is very famous in the world is coming from the batik Indonesian, mainly from Java.
The tradition is beginning to make on the tradition from generation to generation, so that occasionally a recognizable motif batik come from a certain family.
Some batik motif can indicate the status of someone. Even at this time, some batik motif tadisional only used by the family palace of Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
Batik is an ancestor heritage of Indonesia (Java), which until now still there. Batik is also the first time introduced to the world by the President Soeharto, who at that time the United Nations Conference on batik.
Go to HomePage
