to Mrs B. Fisßer was one of the most famous in Pekalongan at the end of the 19th century. Mrs Fisßer passed away in 1905. The decoration on this sarong combines Central Javanese motifs on the badan (main body ) with Pesisir (north coast) motifs on the kepala (head). This hybrid style became popular in Pekalongan in the last years of the 19th century. The badan is decorated with sidomukti, a latticework composition containing symbols of prosperity and well-being, such as the wing (lar) of the mythical bird Garuda (seen also in the sarong on pages 72–3 and in the photos on pages 113, 135 and 137). In Central Java, sidomukti frequently features on batik worn by a bride and groom. On this sarong, the kepala is filled with garlands of flowers and pairs of lovebirds, which also make reference to a festive, joyful occasion. It is possible that this batik sarong was specially commissioned for a wedding.
2 Sarong, signed “wed: J. Jans Pekalongan”, made in Mrs J. Jans’ workshop (ca. 1850–ca. 1920), ca. 1885–1900.
The workshop of Mrs Jans catered to wealthy clients at the turn of the century, consistently producing batik with delicate scallop-like lacy borders and soft colors. This sarong depicts a range of dainty flowers favored by the Dutch residents of Indonesia, set against striking floral arrangements on a darker ground on the kepala. The badan has been decorated with rows of small bouquets of poppies, carnations, tiger lilies, forget-me-nots, lily of the valley and jasmine. To increase the dynamism of the composition, the rows of bouquets alternately slant left and right. The kepala features other very fine floral arrangements, such as a floating basket of flowers, two bouquets of mixed flowers and a round floral wreath, as well as butterflies in flight and birds perched on branches.
3 Sarong kelengan, signed “wed: J. Jans Pekalongan”, made in Mrs J. Jans’ workshop (ca. 1850–ca. 1920), ca. 1885–1900.
Among the Chinese Peranakan of the Pesisir area, blue and white batik (kain kelengan) used to be worn during a period of mourning. In some families, a bride would also wear a sarong with this range of colors to indicate her sorrow at leaving her parents’ house. At the same time, a wedding was a joyful occasion, therefore on the badan, bouquets of lilies and Lenten roses are interspaced with floating baskets of flowers, birds and butterflies. On the kepala, the joyful atmosphere has been further enhanced with a centrally positioned bouquet of roses and baskets of carnations, surrounded by the graceful stems of jasmine.
4 Sarong buketan, signed “J. Jans”, made in Mrs J. Jans’ workshop (ca. 1850–ca. 1920), Pekalongan, probably after 1900.
This sarong derives its name from the floral bouquets (buketan; boeket in Dutch) that are evenly arrayed along the badan and kepala, a tribute to the beauty of tiger lilies. Four elaborate bouquets of tiger lilies decorate the badan, while the same arrangement, presented as a mirror image, dominates the kepala.
5 Sarong, signed “wed Jans–Pekalongan”, made in Mrs J. Jans’ workshop (ca. 1850–ca. 1920), ca. 1885–1900.
This sarong has been dyed with typical colors of the Pesisir area—indigo blue, made from the leaves of the indigo plant (Indigo tinctoria), and a deep turkey red called mengkudu, produced from the bark of the roots of Morinda citrifolia— with each color executed in at least two hues of varied intensity. The main feature of the badan is a garland of flowers that runs down each side of the kepala and along the lower edge of the cloth, while the background has been covered with hundreds of stylized jasmine flowers spaced at regular intervals. The kepala presents a large bouquet of Margaret flowers, a common species of daisy, and fuchsia.
6 Sarong, Pesisir area, second half 19th century.
Around 1860, batik sarongs decorated with poems in the Malay language became popular on the north coast of Java. As this cloth indicates, the text and the iconography did not always complement each other. The poem shown on this sarong, written by a man (see the original and the translation on page 174), mentions a farewell and parting with a loved one, while the diagonal bands separating the lines of the poem feature romantic and happy scenes, suggestive of an engagement and marriage. The bands depict a man presenting flowers to a young woman and there is a large music band and horse-drawn carriages. Numerous bouquets of flowers enhance the celebratory atmosphere.
7 Sarong, signed “Drinhuijzen Pek”, made in the Drinhuijzen workshop, Pekalongan, 1890s.
The Drinhuijzen workshop was active in the 1870s to 1890s. On this sarong, scattered groups of cornflowers decorate the badan, while the kepala features smaller blossoms on a background covered with a multitude of tiny, stylized jasmine blossoms.
8 Sarong dlorong buketan, signed Mrs “L. Metz Pek”, made by Mrs Lien Metzelaar (ca. 1855–1930), Pekalongan, ca. 1890–1900.
Mrs Lien Metzelaar ran a well-known batik workshop in Pekalongan between 1880 and 1919, the heyday of Indische or Indo-European batik. She frequently signed her batik “L. Metz Pek”. Between 1890 and 1900, she produced a series of batik sarongs that combined colors and designs typical of two major batik centers of Java—a warm brown and mengkudu red from the Pesisir area. The badan on this sarong has been decorated with a dlorong design composed of alternating diagonal bands filled with a hook-like motif on a cream ground, typical of the Priangan area of West Java where it is known as rereng, and rows of ornate leaves on an indigo ground. The kepala has been decorated with a bouquet of carnations.
9 Sarong, signed “L Metz Pek”, made by Mrs Lien Metzelaar (ca. 1855–1930), Pekalongan, ca. 1910.
While the kepala of this sarong features a large bouquet of bleeding hearts, the badan has been decorated with bunches of peonies on a background covered with a woven or plaited design. As Mrs Metzelaar used to work with an Arab dealer from Batavia (Jakarta), it is possible that the frequent appearance of woven patterns on her batik reflects the aesthetic preference of Arab Peranakan.
10 Kain buketan, signed “E v Zuylen”, made in Mrs Eliza van Zuylen’s workshop (1863–1947), Pekalongan, ca. 1930.
Because of her lengthy career as a batik entrepreneur, Mrs van Zuylen’s life and work are well documented. All the batik in the van Zuylen compound was decorated by hand
