Batik dyeing

Batik is a traditional textile dyeing technique from Java (Indonesia) that works by wax resist. The origin of the name is unclear, probably from Javanese. In 2009 Indonesian Batik was declared UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Process: on the washed, prepared cotton or silk textile, patterns are applied with liquid beeswax or paraffin wax — traditionally with a tjanting (small metal vessel with spout and handle), in industrial context with a cap (metal stamp) or by screen print. After the wax solidifies the fabric is dyed, whereby the waxed areas take up no colour.

For multi-colour batik the procedure is repeated: new wax areas are applied over the first colour, then dyed in a second colour (light before dark shades). At the end the wax is melted out by boiling. Characteristic are fine crackle lines that arise from cracks in the wax and let colour into defined areas — historically a defect, today an appreciated stylistic feature.

In traditional Javanese societies batik garments were reserved for upper classes and nobility. Only in 1940 did the Sultan of Yogyakarta allow broad use by all social classes.