Sarong (mid-1800s): Art, History and Details

Sarong (mid-1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Batiks made in the North Coast region of Java, specifically in Pekalongan, were influenced by both Indian and European motifs due to the Dutch presence in Indonesia. In this sarong we see a mixture of Indian and European flowers including jasmine, lilac, and daffodil. Batik is a wax-resist dyeing technique used throughout Java. Hot wax is applied with a tool known as a canting and a design is hand drawn with incredible skill. This sarong was then dyed with indigo, a well sought after and culturally important natural dye. Areas on the fabric with wax will not accept the indigo dye, hence the term wax-resist.

Object facts

• Title: Sarong
• Date: mid-1800s
• Culture: Indonesia, Java, North Coast, mid-19th century
• Type: Textile
• Technique: Cotton: plain weave, wax-resist dyed (batik)
• Dimensions: Overall: 106 x 192.4 cm (41 3/4 x 75 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1917.26

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. James J. Tracy

Further reading listed by the museum

• Larsen, Jack Lenor, and Bob Hanson. The Dyer's Art: Ikat, Batik, Plangi. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976.
• Wessing, Robert. 1986. "Wearing the Cosmos: Symbolism in Batik Design". Crossroads : an Interdiscliplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 2, no. 3: 40-82.
• Maxwell, Robyn J. Sari to Sarong: Five Hundred Years of Indian and Indonesian Textile Exchange. [Canberra?]: National Gallery of Australia, 2003.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.