Batik
Batik is a resist-dyeing technique in which wax is applied to cloth to block the dye, repeated for each colour.
In batik, hot wax is drawn or stamped onto cloth. When the cloth is dyed, the waxed areas resist the colour; the wax is then removed, or more is added and the cloth dyed again. Cracks in the wax let thin veins of dye through, a characteristic of the technique.
Where does it come from?
Wax-resist dyeing is old and widespread, but the name and the most refined tradition belong to Java in Indonesia, where batik is drawn with a small spouted tool, the canting, or stamped with copper blocks. Indonesian batik is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Sources
- Batik (AAT 300053050). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Glossary: batik. Ashmolean Museum, Yousef Jameel Centre
- Batik (Q63442113). Wikidata
See also
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