Cirebon Batik

Batik is the most renown textile art of Indonesia and the technique itself- applying a wax resist before dyeing to form a pattern in negative- is known world-wide by its Malay name. The technique is also practiced in India and thought to have originated in China, but it is in Indonesia where it reached its most refined manifestation.

The island of Cirebon has a large Chinese community and the design elements of its batiks reflects their taste. The main decorative element of Cirebon batiks are stylized clouds, featured here with elephants, deer, pagodas and palm trees, all meticulously executed in six colors.