Art Institute of Chicago

Tubular Skirt (Sarong)

Indonesia, Java, North Coast, Pekalongan

Date

c. 1900

Medium

Cotton, plain weave; hand-drawn wax resist dyed (batik tulis)

Culture

Java

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Workshops in Pekalongan produced various types of pictorial subjects, including illustrations of Western stories. The story that is referred to in this sarong, now opened to its full size, has yet to be identified but is full of curious elements. In the center, on the white ground, four male figures wearing breeches pose and gesture in a declamatory way, like actors on a stage. They stand before a building and are surrounded by a rich assortment of angels, animals (including a camel) and birds, butterflies, and plants.

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