Javanese pictorial batik, Prince Djanoko; Sie King Goan (factory); 1927
date: label: date made
content: ca. 1927
name: label: maker
content: Sie King Goan, Solosche Batikkery
notes: label: Description
content: Javanese pictorial batik, Prince Djanoko; Sie King Goan; 1927. Wax-resist dyed (batik) on cotton; square picture with figures against a dark ground, with an outer border of a repeating small geometric figure; made by Sie King Goan, of Solosche Batikhandelaar, Solo (Surakarta), Java, in 1927. Original cataloging information from the donor states: "The figures represented are Widjarnarkaa,husband of Sembadra, also called Prince Djanoko --in the language of middle Java. Shown in the center, sorrounded by a circular leafing stem border; with a figure in each corner of the square, representing historical accounts of early Java as follows: "Poed jawati and Nilawati, favorites (concubines) of Widjarnarka; Jogiswara - called Goeroe - teacher and advisor of Prince Djanoko, carrying kris or sword and special long sleeved coat and shoes - only Goeroe - teachers - wear them; and Kapiwara, one of the ape men, who had been conquered by Prince Djanoko and become a close friend. The figures are identified by a title; and the factory name is also batiked into the design. There is also a paper label with the factory name. The colors are "nilo" - indigo blue; "koedoe"- brown; and "poedih" - white or flesh. The donor described the batik-making process she observed at the factory of Sie King Goan (proprietor and name of the factory), Solosche Batikhandelaar, street address: Kanggotan, Solo, Java. First, the plain cotton cloth, which she described as muslin, is bleached in castor oil and lye water for about 15 days. Then it is boiled for about 2 hours to remove the oil and prepare it for waxing. The wayang figures representing historical accounts of early Java were drawn in pencil by men. Women traced the pencil drawing with the tjanting, which deposits the wax for the resist-dyeing. They use beeswax, which is melted in an oven. The blue and black dyes are from indigo, obtained from a plant which the Javanese call "nilo." The cloth must be in the dye bath for the indigo for from 10-30 days. After dyeing the cloth is boiled to remove the wax. The cloth is then rewaxed for the next dye bath. For the brown dye the root of the koedoe tree is used. The bark is crushed and the juice diluted. In this bath the batik is dipped twice a day and immediately dried, but not in the sun, because the heat of the sun may melt the wax. Dyeing takes 10 to 15 days. The dyed cloth is then again boiled and rewaxed. The red dye, bang-bangan, is a mixture of about a dozen different kinds of leaves and flowers that give red coloring materials. The length of time to be kept in the bath depends upon how deep the color is wanted. The dyed cloth is again boiled and rewaxed. The yellow dye is fromKoeningan, obtained from a tree. Branches are chopped off into small pieces and boiled for 5 or 6 hours. The batiks are boiled in it for at least 2 hours. Starch may be used to stiffen the batik. Usually the hard press of packing serves to iron the batiks.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Indonesia: Jawa Tengah, Surakarta
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Javanese Batiks
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. C. D. Walcott
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T05646.000
label: catalog number
content: T05646.000
label: accession number
content: 96270
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pictorial batik
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 42 in x 42 in; 106.68 cm x 106.68 cm