Waist Cloth (Kain Panjeng)

1800s-early 1900s

Indonesia, Central Java, 19th century - early 20th century

Medium

cotton: batik

Measurements

Overall: 248.9 x 181.6 cm (98 x 71 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1925.488

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Location

Not on view

Description

Unlike the Chinese and sometimes European motifs of northern Javanese batiks, the motifs represented on the batiks of central Java are indigenous. However, due to the influence of Islam, they are represented in a very abstract, stylized fashion. In this batik, a celestial scene—probably signifying the ritual renewal of community life and prosperity—is repeated against a background of small filling motifs. The scene consists of a ship (represented as a divided bow and stern) bearing a Tree of Life, which signifies the community's passage to renewed life; on either side of the ship is a winged pavilion; and above is a sacred mountain, the abode of the gods, with a shrine.