Batik is a resist-dye method of decorating cloth. Parts of the design are drawn either by hand or with a stamp on the cloth with wax. The textile is then dipped in a vat of dye, and the areas covered with wax do not pick up the colour. After drying the wax is removed, and different parts of the design are waxed and the cloth is dyed with another colour. This process is repeated until the textile has been dyed with all the colours necessary for the design. Both (accession numbers 232.2008 & 228.2008) of these batik cloths are 'kain panjang', a cloth that wraps around and covers the body from waist to ankle, from the north coast of Java.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, January 2012