Sarong (Indonesia), 1900–1957

A panel of glazed cotton, resist-printed, probably by a batik method known as cap (tjap) printing (wax resist applied by means of blocks inlaid with copper strips). Design is dark blue, light blue, and white, showing butterflies and birds in and around a large bouquet of twining flowers (“buketan” motif). Border is floral (a North Javanese batik innovation) with narrow outer edge of minute horizontal stripes. Two thirds of the piece (the body or ‘badan’) has a dark blue ground covered with white dots like grains of rice; the other third of the design (the head or ‘kepala’ ) has a plain dark blue ground. The birds, butterflies, and bouquet are in two shades of blue, filled in with white dots and lines.