I just picked these pillows up from Pam. As usual, she did a fantastic job--this time I chose "French" corners with my usual tiny, tiny welt and Belgium linen backing. My mother bought this fabric in Indonesia in the 1970's and I have been saving it for just the right project. As you can see from the detailed figural motifs, this batik is not in the same league as the "Hippy" batiks and tie dyes of the 60's and 70's. Finely detailed little beings are scattered throughout with what appears to be eagle wing symbols.
Batik involves the process of wax resist dyeing which dates back at least to 4th century Egypt. I just love "Google" and "Wikipedia"!! This is the essence of Wikipedia's review of Indonesian Batik--The most acclaimed batiks come from the island of Java and specifically the Yogyakarta and Surakarta regions whose artists frequently incorporate representations of the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. The traditional colors are indigo, dark brown and white which are natural pigments and represent the major Hindu Gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. ("Wiki" does give much more detailed information on Indonesian batiks, but I have limited the information here to cover only the batik used for these pillows.)
As you can see from the detail photos, this batik probably comes from Yogyakarta as it uses the traditional indigo and white color way and is replete with symbols that undoubtedly derive from a specific universal world view. I think that what has me most in awe is the level of detail and the fineness of execution. The workmanship is no doubt that of a master artist and dyer. I made the detail photos extra large in order to highlight the exceptional artistry of the execution.
Thanks for sharing my excitement over this beautiful textile.
Mary and Jones (and Cole)
No comments:
Post a Comment