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Vintage Indonesian Batik Tulis Sarong – Hand Drawn JavaTextile – Birds & Florals – Excellent Provenance
Exceptional vintage Indonesian batik tulis from Java,acquired from the estate collection of former U.S. Ambassador to SingaporeHarry Thayer, whose collection included Southeast Asian textiles gatheredduring the mid-20th century.
This is an authentic hand-drawn wax-resist batik ratherthan a mechanically printed batik-style fabric. The extraordinary amount offine detail is especially apparent in the close-up photographs.
The design is worked in a sophisticated palette of deepbrick and madder reds, dark indigo/brown-black and warm cream. The entire fieldis densely covered with scrolling vines, stylized flowers, leaves, birds andelaborate ornamental forms, with almost every remaining space filled with tinycurling isen-isen details.
Several of the birds have wonderful individualcharacter, including long-tailed and crested forms. Larger stylized floral andornamental motifs punctuate the dense allover design, while the elaborateborder combines floral vines, dark narrow bands and a distinctive repeatingtriangular outer pattern.
Particularly interesting are faint preliminary linesstill visible in portions of the cloth. These appear consistent with artisanlayout or guide marks used in establishing the design before or during thehand-working process. Together with the subtle irregularities of line, changesin individual motifs and extremely detailed wax-resist work, they contribute tothe handmade character of the textile.
The restrained red, cream and dark palette and elaboratetraditional imagery give this a particularly rich, sophisticated appearance. Itappears to be a mid-20th-century Javanese batik, probably circa 1940s–1960s.Some of its freer pictorial and floral elements are also associated with thediverse batik traditions of Java's north-coast/pesisir workshops, although Ihave not attributed it to a specific workshop or town.
Measures approximately 42" wide x 100" long.
Condition: Excellent vintage condition and apparentlyunused. The colors remain rich and the cotton is strong. No holes, stains orrepairs observed. There are natural variations associated with hand-drawn batikproduction and faint original working/guide lines in places; please see thedetailed photographs.
The generous 100-inch length and extraordinarilydetailed surface make this equally appealing as a collectible Indonesiantextile or as decorative textile art. It would be spectacular displayedvertically as a wall hanging, draped over a large table or chest, orprofessionally mounted for display.
A beautiful example of the extraordinary artistry of traditional Indonesianbatik tulis, with the additional appeal of documented batik tulis, Indonesian batik, Java batik, Javanese textile, vintagebatik, hand drawn batik, handmade batik, wax resist, canting batik, kain batik,Indonesian sarong, vintage sarong, Southeast Asian, Indonesian textile, Asiantextile, textile art, collector textile, textile collector, estate textile,diplomatic estate, bird batik, floral batik, botanical textile, bird textile,isen isen, pesisir batik, traditional batik, hand dyed cotton, red indigo, folkart textile, ethnic textile, artisan textile, wall hanging, textile wall art,boho decor, global decor, eclectic decor, maximalist decor, Asian decor,Indonesian decor, framed textile, museum textile, vintage fabric
