Batik (Javanese, “wax painting”), technique of textile design by negative, or resist, dyeing and the resulting fabric. Designs are first painted in melted wax on both sides of a cloth. The cloth is then dipped in dye, which is absorbed by the uncovered areas but resisted by the waxed areas, thus creating a light pattern on a dark ground. After the wax is removed (by boiling or dissolving), the process may be repeated many times to achieve great intricacy of design and richness of colour.
Batik, known to the ancient Sumerians, was developed into an art of great beauty by the Javanese and other Indonesian peoples. The wax was originally applied by a piece of bamboo. From the 17th century it was poured from a tjanting, a copper pot with several spouts, and this led to refinements of technique. The earliest designs were in white against an indigo background. Multicoloured designs developed during the 18th century, when Muslim Indians introduced new dyeing techniques. Traditional Indonesian batik features, geometric or floral motifs, are often status symbols or have religious significance. Batik was introduced to Europe by Dutch merchants in the 17th century. The batik process has become commercialized in Indonesia, and a decline in craftsmanship and loss of symbolic meaning have resulted.
Source:Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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