atik[n 1] is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth.

[1][4][2] This technique

originated from the island of Java, Indonesia.[3] Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of
the resist with a spouted tool called a canting,[n 2] or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called
a cap.[n 3][5] The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by
soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours
are desired.[3]
Batik is an ancient art form of Indonesia made with wax resistant dye on fabrics.[6][7] Indonesian
coastal batik (batik pesisir) made in the island of Java has a history of acculturation, a mixture of
native and foreign cultures.[8] It is a newer model compared to inland batik, and it uses more colors,
though the patterns are less intricate. This is because inland batik used to be made by select experts
living in palace areas, while coastal batik can be made by anyone. [9]
Batik is very important to Indonesians and many people wear it to formal or casual events. Batik is
commonly used by Indonesians in various rituals, ceremonies, traditions, celebrations, and even in
daily uses.[10]
On October 2, 2009, UNESCO officially recognized the batik—written batik (batik tulis) and stamped
batik (batik cap)—as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity from Indonesia, and
encouraged the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote,
and develop the craftsmanship of batik.[1] Since then, Indonesia celebrates "the National Batik Day"
(Indonesian: Hari Batik Nasional) annually on October 2. Nowadays, Indonesians wear batik in
honor of this ancient tradition.[10]
In the same year, UNESCO also recognized "Education and training in Indonesian Batik intangible
cultural heritage for elementary, junior, senior, vocational school and polytechnic students, in
collaboration with the Batik Museum in Pekalongan" as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices List. [11]

Etymology[edit]
The word batik is Javanese in origin. The word bathikan also means "drawing" or "writing" in
Javanese.[12] When the word is absorbed to Indonesian, the "th-" sound is reduced to a "t-" sound
more pronounceable to non-Javanese speakers.
The word batik is first recorded in English in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1880, in which it is
spelled as battik. It is attested in the Indonesian Archipelago during the Dutch colonial period in
various forms such as mbatik, mbatek, batik and batek.[13][14][15] Batik known as euyeuk in Sundanese,
cloth can be processed into a form of batik by a pangeyeuk (batik maker).[16]

History[edit]

Jlamprang or ceplok batik motif of clothes of 13th-century East

Javanese Prajnaparamita statue resembles batik, National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta
Batik is an ancient fabric wax-resist dyeing tradition of Java, Indonesia.[17] The art of batik is most
highly developed and some of the best batiks in the world still made there. In Java, all the materials
for the process are readily available—cotton and beeswax and plants from which different vegetable
dyes are made.[18] Indonesian batik predates written records: G. P. Rouffaer argues that the
technique might have been introduced during the 6th or 7th century from India or Sri Lanka. [19] On the
other hand, the Dutch archaeologist J.L.A. Brandes and the Indonesian archaeologist F.A. Sutjipto
believe Indonesian batik is a native tradition, since several regions in Indonesia such
as Toraja, Flores, and Halmahera which were not directly influenced by Hinduism, have attested
batik making tradition as well.[20]
The existence of the oldest Batik activities came from Ponorogo which was still called Wengker
before the 7th century, the Kingdom in Central Java learned batik from Ponorogo. Because of this,
Ponorogo batik is somewhat similar to batik circulating in Central Java, except that the batik
produced by Ponorogo is generally dark black or commonly called batik irengan because it is close
to magical elements so that it was developed by the kingdoms in Central Java and Yogyakarta. [21]

Pre-1867 Javanese batik probably from the Semarang workshop

owned by Carolina Josephina von Franquemont (1817–1867). This sarong was purchased by the King of
Siam during a state visit, most likely c. 1871. There are few surviving pieces of 19th-century commercial
batik wearing-apparel.
Based on the contents of the Sundanese Manuscript, Sundanese people have known
about Batik since the 12th century. Based on ancient Sundanese manuscript Sanghyang Siksa
Kandang Karesian written 1518 AD, it is recorded that Sundanese having batik which is identical and
representative of Sundanese culture in general. Several motif are even noted in the text, based on
those data sources the process of Batik Sundanese creation begins step by step. [22]
Rouffaer reported that the gringsing pattern was already known by the 12th century in Kediri, East
Java. He concluded that this delicate pattern could be created only by using the canting, an etching
tool that holds a small reservoir of hot wax invented in Java around that time. [20] The carving details of
clothes worn by East Javanese Prajnaparamita statues from around the 13th century show intricate
floral patterns within rounded margins, similar to today's traditional
Javanese jlamprang or ceplok batik motif.[23][better source needed] The motif is thought to represent the lotus, a
sacred flower in Hindu-Buddhist beliefs. This evidence suggests that intricate batik fabric patterns
applied with the canting existed in 13th-century Java or even earlier.[24] By the last quarter of the 13th
century, the batik cloth from Java has been exported to Karimata islands, Siam, even as far
as Mosul.[25][page needed]
In Europe, the technique was described for the first time in the "History of Java", published in
London in 1817 by Stamford Raffles, who had been a British governor of Bengkulu, Sumatra. In
1873 the Dutch merchant Van Rijckevorsel gave the pieces he collected during a trip to Indonesia to
the ethnographic museum in Rotterdam. Today the Tropenmuseum houses the biggest collection of
Indonesian batik in the Netherlands. Displayed at the Exposition Universelle at Paris in 1900, the
Indonesian batik impressed the public and artists.[19]
The Dutch Indo Europeans and Chinese settlers were active in developing batik, particularly coastal
batik, in the late colonial era. They introduced new patterns as well as the use of the cap (copper
block stamps) to mass-produce batiks. Between 1811 and 1946, there was a breed of batik known
as Batik Belanda. Which was basically a batik industry ran by the Indo Europeans in the East Indies.
The patterns and styles reflected European style and taste with a fusion of local indigenous culture.
It was quite successful, as such several prominent batik ateliers appeared and was exported to
Singapore, and the Netherlands. The industry itself collapsed after WW II and the Indonesian
independence.[26]
In the 1920s, Javanese batik makers migrating to Malay Peninsula (present-day Malaysia, South
Thailand, and southern tip of Myanmar) introduced the use of wax and copper blocks to its east
coast.[27]
In Subsaharan Africa, Javanese batik was introduced in the 19th century by Dutch and English
merchants and batik makers. The local people there adapted the Javanese batik, making larger
motifs with thicker lines and more colours. Locally it is known as African wax prints or Dutch wax
prints. In the 1970s, batik was introduced to Australia, where aboriginal artists at Erna Bella have
developed it as their own craft.[28]
In Africa, it was originally practised by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, Soninke and Wolof in Senegal.
[19]
This African version, however, uses cassava starch or rice paste, or mud as a resist instead
of beeswax.[29]

 Some ancient Indonesian statues that use batik motifs

Kawung batik motif on Mahakala statue, from temple at Singhasari, East Java, 1275–1300
 

Kawung batik motif on Nandishvara statue (foreground, 13th century)

Batik motif on Durga Mahishasuramardini statue, Singhasari, 1275–1300

Techniques[edit]

Written batik (batik tulis), drawing patterns with wax

using canting in Java
Initially, batik making techniques only used "written batik" (batik tulis) techniques. This batik tulis is
known as the original batik from generation to generation from the Indonesian nation's ancestors
because the process and workmanship are still very traditional and manual. Then the technique
developed with the discovery of the stamped batik (batik cap) technique which made batik work
faster. The batik tulis and batik cap techniques are recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity from Indonesia because it still uses waxes in the making
process.[1]
Written batik (batik tulis)[edit]
See also: Canting

Written batik or batik tulis (Javanese script: ꦧꦠꦶ ꦏ꧀ꦠꦸꦭꦶꦱ꧀; Pegon: ‫ )باتيق توليس‬is made by writing wax
liquid on the surface of the cloth with a tool called canting. Canting made of copper with a handle
made of bamboo or wood. The making of hand-written batik takes approximately 1–3 months
depending on the complexity and detail of batik. Because the working techniques are still traditional
and manual, making hand-written batik takes longer and is more complicated than other batik
techniques. In addition, the fundamental difference between written batik compared to other batik is
that there are differences in each pattern, for example, a number of points or curved lines that are
not the same because they are made manually. This characteristic of hand-written batik makes
hand-written batik more valuable and unique compared to other batiks.[30][better source needed]

Stamped batik (batik cap), stamp wax-resin resist for batik with
a cap tool in Java
Written batik technique is the most complicated, smooth, and longest process to work with, so a
piece of original batik tulis cloth is usually sold at a higher price. However, this is the advantage of
batik with the written process, which is more exclusive because it is purely handmade. In Indonesia,
premium hand-written batik clothes are usually only worn by certain people at special events, in the
form of long-sleeved shirts or modern batik dresses. The batik motif in Indonesia has developed
depending on its history and place of origin.[31][better source needed]

Stamped batik (batik cap)[edit]

Stamped batik or batik cap (Javanese script: ꦧꦠꦶ ꦏ꧀ꦕꦥ꧀; Pegon: ‫ )باتيق چڤ‬is batik whose
manufacturing process uses a stamp tool. This stamp tool is made of copper plates which form a
batik motif on one of its surfaces. Stamp tool or canting cap is made by people who are experts in
that field. Making batik with cap works the same way as using a stamp, but using waxes, not ink.
This experience process is not easy to do. To make one piece of batik cloth, the process of
deepening is carried out several times depending on the number of colors desired. [30] Cap is used to
replacing the canting function so that it can shorten the manufacturing time. Batik cap is produced
from the process of dyeing a tool made of copper which has been shaped in such a way on the
cloth. The batik cap motif is considered to have less artistic value because all the motifs are exactly
the same. The price of printed batik is cheaper than written batik because it can be made en masse.
[32][better source needed]

Painted batik (batik lukis): a woman is making batik with a Rangda motif by using a brush.
The distinctive feature of batik cap can be seen from the repeating pattern and/or ornament motif.
Historically, this batik cap process was discovered and popularized by the brethren as a solution to
the limited capacity of batik production if it was only processed with hand-written techniques (batik
tulis). The process of making this type of batik takes approximately 2–3 days. The advantages
of batik cap are easier, faster batik processing, and the most striking of which is the more neat and
repetitive motifs. While the drawbacks of batik cap include the mainstream design because it usually
goes into mass production, in terms of art it looks stiffer and the motifs are not too detailed, and what
is certain is the possibility of having the same batik as other people is greater. [31][better source needed]

Painted batik (batik lukis)[edit]

Painted batik, batik painting, or batik lukis (Javanese script: ꦧꦠꦶ ꦏ꧀ꦭꦸꦏꦶꦱ꧀; Pegon: ‫ )باتيق لوكيس‬is a
technique of making batik by painting (with or without a pattern) on a white cloth using a medium or
a combined medium like canting, brush, banana stalk, broomsticks, cotton, toothpicks, patchwork, or
other media depending on the expression of a painter. Batik painting is the result of the development
of batik art. The essence of batik painting is the process of making batik that does not use traditional
motifs that are commonly found. The resulting motifs are the creation of the maker, usually
producing contemporary (free) motifs or patterns with brighter, more striking colors, and more
diverse color variations. The coloring in painted batik tends to be free and plays with many colors
that are not often found in written batik (batik tulis). There are also gradation effects and other
painting effects. The drawings are made as if painted batik is an ordinary painting poured on cloth
using wax as the medium.[33]
In principle, painted batik is almost the same way with written batik in the making process. Because
of the development of classic written batik, painted batik still contains the same elements as written
batik in the aspects of materials, processing, coloring, and highlighting (removing the wax). But there
are also many differences due to the influence of modern painting, such as in terms of appearance,
especially in motifs and colors. The most important thing in making painted batik is the combination
of the batik work and coloring depending on the taste of the batik maker. Painted batik is popular
because it has a very affordable price and a very creative manufacturing process. Painted batik can
be used as decoration or ready-to-wear clothing (fashion). Painted batik which has human objects,
landscapes, still objects, and other objects, are in high demand for display paintings. [34][better source needed]

Making process[edit]
The making of Indonesian batik is a labor-intensive process.[6] The following are the stages in the
process of making the original batik tulis cloth from the first steps to the last
process: nyungging, njaplak, nglowong, ngiseni, nyolet, mopok, nembok, ngelir, nembok, the
first nglorod, ngrentesi, nyumri, nyoja, and the second nglorod.[35][better source needed][36][better source needed]
Firstly, a cloth is washed, soaked, and beaten with a large mallet. Patterns are drawn with pencil and
later redrawn using hot wax, usually made from a mixture of paraffin or beeswax, sometimes mixed
with plant resins, which functions as a dye-resist. The wax can be applied with a variety of tools. A
pen-like instrument called a canting (Javanese pronunciation: [tʃantiŋ], sometimes spelled with old Dutch
orthography tjanting) is the most common. A canting is made from a small copper reservoir with a
spout on a wooden handle. The reservoir holds the resist which flows through the spout, creating
dots and lines as it moves. For larger patterns, a stiff brush may be used. [37] Alternatively, a copper
block stamp called a cap (Javanese pronunciation: [tʃap]; old spelling tjap) is used to cover large areas
more efficiently.[38][citation needed]
After the cloth is dry, the resist is removed by boiling or scraping the cloth. The areas treated with
resist keep their original colour; when the resist is removed the contrast between the dyed and
undyed areas forms the pattern.[39][better source needed] This process is repeated as many times as the number
of colours desired.
The most traditional type of batik, called written batik (batik tulis), is drawn using only the canting.
The cloth needs to be drawn on both sides and dipped in a dye bath three to four times. The whole
process may take up to a year; it yields considerably finer patterns than stamped batik (batik cap).

 Batik making process

 

Initial pattern drawn with a pencil

Processing "nembok", traditional way to make batik tulis (handmade batik)

Batik craftswomen in Java handmarking resist on batik tulis cloth with canting

Selection of cap copper printing blocks with traditional batik patterns

 

Applying waxes using cap (copper plate stamps)

Dyeing the cloth in colour

Two Javanese women making batik cloths in a village in Java, between 1870 and 1900

Portrait of Javanese women making batik in Java, between 1870 and 1900
Culture[edit]
Batik is an ancient cultural element that is widespread in Indonesia. Making batik, in the sense of
written batik, is not only a physical activity but has a deep dimension that contains prayer, hope, and
lessons.[40] Batik motifs in ancient Javanese society have a symbolic meaning and can be used as a
means of communication for ancient Javanese people. The ancient Javanese community realized
that through batik motifs the social stratification of society could be identified. [41]
Many Indonesian batik patterns are symbolic. Infants are carried in batik slings decorated with
symbols designed to bring the child luck, and certain batik designs are reserved for brides and
bridegrooms, as well as their families.[42] Batik garments play a central role in certain Javanese
rituals, such as the ceremonial casting of royal batik into a volcano. In the Javanese naloni
mitoni ceremony, the mother-to-be is wrapped in seven layers of batik, wishing her good things.
Batik is also prominent in the tedak siten ceremony when a child touches the earth for the first time.
[43]
Specific pattern requirement are often reserved for traditional and ceremonial contexts. [44]

 Batik in 19th century Java

A Javanese man in court dress, from The History of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1817)

A Javanese chief, in his ordinary dress, from The History of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1817)
 

A Javanese man in war dress, from The History of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1817)

A Javanese man of the lower class, from The History of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1817)

A Javanese ronggeng dancer, from The History of Java by Thomas Stamford Raffles (1817)

Traditional costume in the Javanese royal palace[edit]

Batik is the traditional costume of the royal and aristocratic families in Java for many centuries until
now. The use of batik is still sustainable and is a mandatory traditional dress in the rules of the
Javanese palaces to this day. Initially, the tradition of making batik was considered a tradition that
 could only be practiced in the palace and was designated as the clothes of the king, family, and their
followers, thus becoming a symbol of Javanese feudalism. Because many of the king's followers
lived outside the palace, this batik art was brought by them outside the palace and carried out in
their respective places. The batik motifs of each social class are differentiated according to social
strata and nobility in the palace.[45] The motifs of the Parang Rusak, semen gedhe, kawung,
and udan riris are the batik motifs used by the aristocrats and courtiers
in garebeg ceremonies, pasowanan, and welcoming honor guests. During the colonial era, Javanese
courts issued decrees that dictated certain patterns to be worn according to a person's rank and
class within the society. Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII, who ruled the Yogyakarta Sultanate from
1921 to 1939, reserved several patterns such as the Parang Rusak and Semen Agung for members
of the Yogyakartan royalties and restricted commoners from wearing them. [46]
 Sultan Hamengkubuwono VI, King of Yogyakarta Sultanate (1855–1877), dressed in royal majesty attire
(batik)

Pakubuwono X, the King of Surakarta Sunanate in kain batik, c. 1910

 The Ratoe Kedaton wearing batik, the head wife of Hamengkubuwono V of Kraton Ngayogyakarta
Hadiningrat, c. 1865

Princes and princess wearing batik of Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, c. 1870

Traditional dance costumes[edit]

Batik is used for traditional dance performances in Java. Costume is one of the main things in
presenting traditional Javanese dance. Kemben is a piece of cloth worn from the chest to the waist.
Tapih is used to fasten the jarit of the dancers, it is decorated with a distinctive batik motif, and
fastened with a stagen belt. Sampur is used by wrapping them around the dancer's body. This cloth
is also known as Kancrik Prade which is usually dominated by yellow or red. Jarit is a subordinate,
 uses a long batik cloth.[47][better source needed] Some examples of Javanese dances include Bedhaya, Srimpi,
Golek, Beksan, wayang wong, gambyong, and so on.
 Bedhaya dance performance at Mangkunegaran royal palace at Solo, Java, in January 1921

Topeng dance performance from Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia

King Duryodana in Wayang wong performance in Taman Budaya Rahmat Saleh, Semarang, Jawa
Tengah, Indonesia

Golek Ayun-Ayun Dance performance accompanied by Gamelan Ensemble at Bangsal Sri

Manganti Keraton Yogyakarta