Topstukken_p001_248_Opmaak 1 03-04-13 19:31 Pagina 24
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Sarong (Sarung) Indo-European; Java, Indonesia before 1878 216 x 112 cm cotton, natural dyes RMV 300-364 (1878)
Presentation of the colony in Paris This batik cloth belongs to a large series of objects that was donated to the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde in 1878 after the end of the Paris World’s Fair. At this exhibition, the Netherlands presented itself by constructing a colonial pavilion, which focused on the latest developments in cottage industries in the archipelago. The Javanese batik industry was one of these. Indonesia is still proud of its batik production today. Like wayang, batik is on UNESCO's cultural world heritage list. Entrepreneurship and conversion The sarong was made in Banyumas (West Java), and comes from Van Oosterom’s batik workshop. These Batik Panastroman, as they were called, were known primarily in West Java. The Indo-European craftswoman Catharina Carolina Van Oosterom-Philips was born in Salatiga in 1816. Widowed at an early age and obliged to earn her own living, Catharina van Oosterom started up a batik company in Banyumas, where she had celebrated her marriage in 1832. Besides being a highly successful entrepreneur, she was also eager to propagate the Christian faith among the local population. She used to read to her batik employees from the Bible as they worked.
Drawn in wax The typical Javanese technique used to decorate this cloth is called batik. In batik, the motifs are created by placing liquid wax on certain parts of the cloth, so that when the cloth is immersed in a basin of dye, these sections are not coloured. This process is repeated using different colours, and the wax is removed by boiling. This cloth has been decorated by the technique of batik tulis (‘written batik’); the wax has been applied using a canting, a small spouted container. Wax motifs can also be stamped onto the cloth, in a technique known as batik cap. Batik Belanda This cloth is a fine example of Batik Belanda, cloths that were made for sale by Indo-European companies. The motifs were inspired in part by indigenous patterns and in part by European motifs. A combination of diverse animals, as on this cloth, is called in Javanese alas-alasan, ‘all kinds of creatures in the forest’, and represents cosmic totality. The bunches of grapes and vine leaves are typically European. The colours of the cloth are also significant. The white background signifies that the sarong must be worn in the evening, and the bright red with few blue accents indicates that the cloth is intended to be worn by young brides.
Batik hip cloth When the two ends of this elongated cloth are sewn together, the result is a cylindrical skirt or sarung, a garment that is wound around the hips. The central section of the cloth, with a pattern of red and blue birds, fourfooted creatures, butterflies, vine leaves, and bunches of grapes against a white background, is called the badan (body). The badan is always enclosed by a narrow border with small motifs, the pinggir. The end, consisting of two rows of triangles, filled with ‘young bamboo shoots’ (pucuk rebung), is called the kepala (head). The rectangles on either side of the triangles, likewise filled with floral motifs, are called the papan (board).