Asian Textiles: Textiles of Indonesia
"Asian Textiles: Textiles of Indonesia"
This gallery currently features the many striking textile techniques of the islands of Indonesia, with special emphasis on batik, a wax-resist dying technique. There are two techniques to make batik cloth. One is to draw patterns of beeswax lines directly on cotton cloth using a tool called a canting. The other is to stamp repeating patterns onto cotton cloth using a beeswax-coated copper stamp called a cap. Once the designs are marked in beeswax, the cloth is dipped in indigo blue, madder red, or sogan brown dye and only the wax-covered portions remain white.
In addition to batik cloths, this gallery is also displaying Indonesian textiles for use in celebratory ceremonies featuring warp ikat, glittering songket (supplementary weft patterning in metallic threads), and brocade.
| Designation | Name | Amount | Creation Excavation | Period | Acquisition Ownership | Comment | |
| "Dodot” (Formal Lower Body Wrap) with Garuda and Flowering Plants, Batik | Central Java, Indonesia | Start of the 20th century | TI-349-9 | ||||
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“Kain Panjang” (Lower Body Wrap) with a Geometric Latticework Pattern; Batik with gold leaf | Central Java, Indonesia | 19th century | TI-229 | |||
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“Hinggi Kombu” (Shoulder Wrap) with Animals; Warp ikat | Sumba, Indonesia | 19th century | TI-366 | |||
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"Slendang" (Shoulder Wrap) with Floral Latticework and Triangular “Tumpal” Motifs; Applied gold leaf | Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia | 19th century | TI-265 |
