Batik with Pairs of Peacocks

Batik is the most renowned textile art in Indonesia. The design is applied in the wax-resist method. Wax is painted on, and the fabric is then dyed, the dye adhering to the wax-free area. The wax is then removed with boiling water and the same process is repeated with a different color. Batiks are always double sided as the dyes seep through the thin cotton ground. Batik making is famous all over Indonesia with the best ones originating in Java, where the tradition began. Javanese batiks are typically free from outside influence, due to their inland location. Batiks from more coastal regions employ a vast repertoire of designs derived from indigenous folklore and from the waves of foreign culture that has passed through the archipelago.

This batik is made up of three colors – red and indigo on an ochre ground.  The design feature pairs of Indo-Persian peacocks, one with indigo tail feathers and the other with mostly brown ones. They are facing each other and surrounded by foliage. Decorative border lines three sides with scrollwork, florals, and geometric shapes. The field is filled with two styles of peacock (one with more indigo details) and abstract floral shapes.