Title
Skirt cloth (kain sarong)
early 20th century
Artists
Unknown Artist
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Details
- Place where the work was made
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Pekalongan
→
Central Java
→
Java
→
Indonesia
- Cultural origin
- Peranakan Chinese
- Date
- early 20th century
- Media category
- Textile
- Materials used
- cotton, dyes; batik
- Dimensions
- 194.5 x 106.5 cm (irreg.)
- Credit
- Gift of John Yu and George Soutter 2008
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 227.2008
- Copyright
- Share
-
About
Across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore communities of integrated heritage are known by the Malay word peranakan (descendent). Peranankan Chinese also known as Straits Chinese are personified by the Baba-Nonya (Grandfather-Grandmother). Generally, Peranakan Chinese communities are made up of the descendants of the marriage between Chinese men and local women, where the man’s religious beliefs remain dominant while the woman’s cultural traits prevail. At the beginning of the 20th century four main Peranakan Chinese communities were linked by maritime routes from the island of Penang on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia down to Malacca, then Singapore and Pekalongan on the north coast of Java. The first three communities are known to have produced beautiful silver ware, furniture, and embroidery yet they are not known to have produced batik. As such batik industries on the north coast of Java were central in the design, manufacture and supply of batik to the other three peranakan port communities.'Batik tulis’ or hand drawn batik blue design on white sarongs like this one were often used by women in mourning.