History of "Batik"

The word "batik" comes from the combination of two Javanese word "amba", meaning "writing" and "titik" a meaningful.


The art of dyeing cloth with obstacles staining technique using the night is one of the ancient art form. Discoveries in Egypt showedthat this technique has been known since the 4th century BC, with the discovery of a mummy wrapping cloth which is also coated the night to form a pattern. In Asia, batik similar technique is alsoapplied in China during the T'ang Dynasty (618-907) as well as inIndia and Japan during the Nara Period (645-794). In Africa, such as the batik technique known by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, as well as the Soninke and Wolof tribe in Senegal. In Indonesia, batik isbelieved to have existed since the Majapahit era, and became verypopular late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century.Produced batik batik is all up to the early twentieth century and the new batik known after World War I or sometime in the 1920s. 


Although the word "batik" comes from the Javanese, the presence of batik in Java itself is not recorded. G.P. Rouffaer argues that thebatik technique is likely to be introduced from India or Sri Lanka inthe 6th century, or to-7. On the other hand, J.L.A. Brandes (Dutcharchaeologist) and F.A. Sutjipto (archaeologist Indonesia) believethat the tradition of batik is a native of the area such as Toraja,Flores, Halmahera and Papua. It should be noted that the region isnot an area that is influenced by Hinduism, but known to the ancienttradition of making batik.
G.P. Rouffaer gringsing also reported that the pattern has been known since the 12th century in Kediri, East Java. He concludedthat this pattern can only be formed by using a canting, so he arguesthat the canting is found in Java in the period surrounding it.Detailed carvings that resemble the pattern of batik cloth worn by the Prajnaparamita, the Buddhist statues of the goddess of wisdomfrom the East Java the 13th century. Detailed dress patternfeaturing vines and delicate flowers similar to the traditional Javanese batik patterns that can be found now. This suggests that creating an intricate batik patterns can only be made ​​with a cantinghas been known in Java since the 13th century or even earlier. 


Legend in the Malay literature of the 17th century, Sulalatus Salatintold Admiral Hang Nadim ordered by Sultan Mahmud to sail to Indiato get 140 pieces of cloth with a pattern of 40 litter types of flowerson each page. Being unable to fulfill orders, he made himself the fabrics were. But unfortunately shipwrecked on the way home andonly capable of carrying four pieces that make the emperordisappointed. By some commentators, who? litter was interpretedas batik.
In European literature, batik technique was first described in the book History of Java (London, 1817) writings of Sir ThomasStamford Raffles. He had been a British governor of Java duringNapoleon occupied the Netherlands. In 1873 a Dutch merchant VanRijekevorsel give a piece of batik earned during his visit toIndonesia to Ethnic Museum in Rotterdam and at the beginning ofthe 19th century that began to reach the golden age batik. Whenexhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, Indonesianbatik amaze the public and artists.
Since industrialization and globalization, which introducesautomation techniques, batik is a new type emerged, known asbatik and printed batik, while that produced by traditional batiktechniques using a canting handwriting and night is called batik. Atthe same time immigrants from Indonesia to Malaya Fellowshipalso brought along their batik.