TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book.
BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM
[Illustration: CHINESE SCREEN PANEL BY PIETER MIJER AND EMILE
WEECKERS]
BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM
BY
PIETER MIJER
_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
From Photographs by
G. W. Harting_
[Illustration: (signet)]
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1921
COPYRIGHT, 1919
BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC.
First edition printed June, 1919
Second edition printed August, 1919
Third edition printed December, 1919
Fourth edition printed September, 1920
FOREWORD
In writing the following pages on “Batiks, and how they are made” I
had a double purpose in view. First, to make this ancient art more
known to the public in general and to the many textile craftworkers in
particular; secondly, to try to give some practical advice which will
make for the better execution of the work.
Batik is not so crude a method of decorating material as many people
have thought it to be. It is not a matter of smearing some wax on a
piece of material with any old brush, dipping it haphazard into any
kind of dye, leaving it to the gods to decide what colour it is going
to be, and finally trying to sell it as a high-priced work of art. On
the contrary, it is a craft which requires quite a good deal of skill
and knowledge of design, as well as a good idea of colour.
The batik art has been much abused and it may be of interest to
many to know something of its history, to read the description of
the process as practised by the natives of Java, the method used in
Holland, and the means now employed by some craftsmen and women in
America.
Too much stress cannot be laid on the fact that it is, as a rule, the
small details that many people like to overlook because they seem of
comparatively little importance, that bring out the charm and beauty
of a real batik. Batik is not difficult, the chief requirements are
care and time, and the best results are always gotten by giving time
to the work and not trying to do it in a rush. As with any other art
or craft, one needs to study the medium before using it and another
fact that has only been too often forgotten, is, that batik has design
and knowledge of colour as its foundation and I would like to advise
readers who have not studied these essentials, to leave batik alone
until they have acquired some understanding of them.
Most of the hints given here are the outcome of the many years that I
have spent making batiks. Having seen it done in Java as well as in
Holland, I have had an opportunity to compare the different ways of
working, and by experimenting, have found many little helpful things
which I gladly share with present and future workers.
In the last few years, batik has advanced in this country with
rapid strides and I am sure that a good deal of this is the result
of the interest which manufacturers, especially those in the silk
industry, have taken in its development. Batik work, however, is not
a manufacturing process. The moment we try to commercialize it, that
is, to make the same design in quantities, the quality decreases; a
great deal of the beauty of a batik lies in the personal touch of
the artist or craftsman who makes it, and we may safely say that
neither of them is able to do machine work and produce a practically
unlimited quantity in a short time. It certainly is a pity that some
manufacturers have already tried to commercialize it by means of using
untrained boys and girls to execute in quantities the designs of
others. When one sees the result of these efforts, one is inclined to
ask, “Is it a good idea to spread the knowledge of batik?”
On the other hand, if the buying public knows more about the work
than it does now, if they know the time and the care it takes to make
a good batik, then I am sure that their desire for good batik will
increase and the manufactured product soon will be where the other
manufactured arts have gone.
Before going on to the description of batik, I should like to say a
word of thanks to Olive Earle, for valuable help. Also to “House and
Garden” and “Elsevier’s Geill: Maandschrift” for their kindness in
lending me some of the photographs used.
PIETER MIJER.
New York, April, 1919.
CONTENTS
PAGE
BATIK IN JAVA 1
BATIK IN HOLLAND 24
UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 32
TJANTINGS 44
THE BATIK PROCESS 50
SUCCESSFUL DYEING 59
THE VALUE OF A DYE RECORD 77
ILLUSTRATIONS
Chinese Screen Panel by Pieter Mijer and Emile Weeckers _Frontispiece_
FACING
PAGE
Javanese Kain Kapala 2
Enlarged Detail of Native Sarong 4
Native Design Showing European Influence 14
Pure Native Design Adapted for European Use 14
Conventional Fish Design by Chris Lebeau 26
Geometrical Fish Design by Chris Lebeau 28
Stork Panel by Chris Lebeau 30
Flamingo Curtain by Pieter Mijer 30
The Use of Batik in Interior Decoration 32
Dyeing of Textile 34
Cleaning the Tjanting 34
Floral Design Entirely Executed with a Brush 36
Various Types of Tjantings 46
Scarf Batiked by Hazel Burnham Slaughter 50
The Right Way to Hold the Tjanting 54
The Use of the Brush for Filling Spaces 54
Tank for Separating Wax from Gasoline 58
“Spring” by C. Bertram Hartman and Pieter Mijer 64
By following the arrows in the above chart it will
easily be seen which colours should be mixed
together in order to produce a given colour
and the various lengths of the connecting
lines indicate about the proportion in which
the dyes should be used 68
Successive Stages in the Making of a Batik 74
Successive Stages in the Making of a Batik 76
The Use of Batik for Costume 78
Sorceress by Arthur Crisp and Pieter Mijer 80
BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM
BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
BATIK IN JAVA
Investigation shows that there never was a time when the art of batik
did not flourish in Java. The robes of idols worshipped in prehistoric
days were decorated very much in the same way as those of today,
and apparently the modern native method of doing the work differs
little from that employed so many hundreds of years ago. The literal
translation from a Javanese paper on the batik art, which concludes
this chapter, shows something of the confusingly elaborate process
used in the East, while the description of the modern American way of
working explains how comparatively simply, effective and beautiful
results can be obtained.
[Sidenote: DIFFERENCE IN METHODS]
The chief difference between the occidental and the native way of
batiking is, that the occidental starts his dyeing with the lightest
colour and dyes his tones over each other, whilst the native dips his
fabric in the darkest colour first and removes the wax each time that
he needs a lighter shade and he only uses dyes that set by oxidation.
Of course their batiks have to stand very much rougher treatment than
the textiles decorated here and to make the dyes stand the terrific
glare of the sun, the innumerable washings, and the regular dips
taken by their wearers who are tremendously fond of bathing, it is
necessary for them to take every precaution to produce fast colours.
Their methods may seem complicated, but it would not be amiss if
American batikers were to use a little more of the patience and craft
that the native exercises, instead of eternally seeking short cuts to
superficially beautiful effects.
Batiks are chiefly used in Java for wearing apparel and as a rule are
made of calico which is imported from Holland and England, although
homespun cotton is occasionally found and was used, of course, before
trading with Europe developed almost “Mail Order” facilities.
[Illustration: JAVANESE KAIN KAPALA]
[Sidenote: JAVANESE COSTUME]
[Sidenote: KAINS]
The costume is similar for men and women and consists of the “sarong,”
the “slendang” and the “sarong kapala.” There are two types of sarong
or loin-cloth worn, which are known as the “kain pandjang” and the
“kain kapala”; the former is decorated with an all-over pattern and
is used for “every-day” wear, whilst the “kain kapala” is a more
expensive form, which besides the all-over pattern, has at one end,
from selvedge to selvedge, an elaborate design. There is no intricacy
of cutting in a sarong as it consists merely of a piece of material
from three to four-and-a-half yards long and about forty-two inches
wide. The material used for this garment is almost always cotton of
varying grades.
The Javanese sarong facing page 2 is made in four colours, the
cream colour of the original material, a bright indigo blue, red,
and purple which is the combination of the red and blue. The main
part of the sarong is decorated with a flower and bird all-over
design, the ground being the cream colour of the material, while the
red dominates in the flowers and birds. The wide border has a red
background with a cream floral decoration, and the narrow border has
a blue background with an ornamental design in cream and red. The
kapala of this sarong is in red, with a scattered floral decoration
and filled in with a characteristic Javanese filling-in pattern. The
purple notes are scattered through the design. Facing page 4 is shown
an enlarged detail of this design.
[Sidenote: SLENDANG]
The “slendang” is no more complicated as to shape and the decoration
is either in the form of an all-over design, or it has a plain centre
with a decorative border. It is usually about three yards long and
eighteen inches wide, and it is worn by the women who throw it over
their heads, scarf-wise, but its use is more general as a “carry-all”
for babies and other personal effects.
[Sidenote: HEAD-DRESS]
The “sarong kapala” is a square piece of material worn chiefly by the
men and is wound around the head in a kind of turban shape. After it
has been folded on the head to the satisfaction of the wearer, it is
taken off very carefully and starched on the inside.
[Illustration: ENLARGED DETAIL OF NATIVE SARONG]
The women sometimes add an upper garment, called a “kemban”; this is
just a long straight strip which is wound tightly round the body.
The shoulders and arms are left bare, for they are great workers and
do not allow their movements to be hampered by an undue amount of
clothing.
[Sidenote: JAVANESE DESIGN]
The designing and waxing of batiks is done largely by the women whilst
the men usually take care of the dyeing part of the process. The
designs, whilst apparently originating with each individual worker
are founded as a rule on what one might call standard designs; these
have been used for generations, although in course of time they have
changed in character somewhat. In most cases, any one familiar with
these Javanese classics can trace the modern designs to their source
and will recognize in present-day interpretations, figures well-known
in native folk-lore.
Other designs have significance in that they designate rank or social
prestige. Some hundred of these patterns have regular names, such
as “batik parang rusa” and “batik sawat”; these two are reserved for
the exclusive use of royalty, and many designs are esteemed as much
for their social ranking as for their artistic merit. Decorated silk
is occasionally worn by the native aristocracy; it is not in general
use, however, and is always made in the form of a “slendang” and worn
as a scarf. The colours found in a batik can be interpreted to denote
the part of Java in which it was made. Those from Djocdja and Solo
are executed in rich tans, beautiful golden browns and deep indigo
blue, which colours are used on the royal batiks; the work from these
districts is sombre in tone but very rich in design. Pekalongan batiks
are usually in white and different shades of blue, or rather cream
and blue, for the native treats his fabric with oil before starting
to work and this gives a rich creamy tone to the white. Dead white
itself is never used as it is literally associated with the dead,
being the colour of grave cloths and always signifying death. Variety
of colouring in a batik will mean as a rule that the piece had its
origin in the district of Samarang.
The prices of the garments of course vary according to the amount of
work on the piece. “Kains” can be bought as cheaply as a dollar each
and sometimes as much as $25.00 is paid; however, a batik costing as
much is rare, and is usually one made to special order. About two to
two and a half dollars is the average price one would have to pay for
a garment in Java.
[Sidenote: TJAPS]
Besides the batik done entirely by hand, the native produces a
decorated material known as “tjap.” This method can best be compared
to block printing, the wax being printed on to the material instead of
being applied with a tjanting. Instead of the wooden block associated
with block printing, the native uses a sort of die made of wood, on
which the design is made by the insertion, edgewise, of thin strips of
brass or red copper; in some cases the whole die is made of the red
copper. These “tjaps” are reminiscent of the work done in Madras where
a similar process has been employed since the 15th century, for the
direct application of the dyes.
Some “tjaps” are done entirely by printing with blocks, while others
are partly hand-work. The dies are used as time savers when making
borders or patterns with a regular repeat. The native artists consider
these substitutes, which are sold to the poorer classes for daily
wear, very inferior to real batik and no Javanese of any standing
would dream of “lowering himself” by wearing one.
At the present time not many die-makers are found, as there is only
a comparatively small market for the work. A die is so solidly
constructed and lasts so long, that once made, there is seldom a
re-order of the same design. The price of dies varies according to the
size and elaborateness of the design, ranging from about 25 cents,
American money, to as high as $24.00. In Samarang there are still a
few men who trade in these tjaps, whilst in Soerabaja there is only
one man known who is able to make them.
The copper used in the making of tjaps comes in three different
weights; the lightest is used for the making of fine outlines, the
second weight for the heavier lines, whilst the third and heaviest
weight is used for the frame work. Like the tjanting, the tjap is
constructed in three parts; first, the body of the instrument which is
composed of the variously bent strips of copper which make the design,
then the frame-work which holds these strips together and lastly the
metal handle.
The tjap has to replace the work done with the tjanting, therefore the
object of the tjap-maker is to replace all tjanting lines with strips
of copper of varying sizes, which, when printed, will give the effect
of perfect tjanting work. To that end, the strips of copper have to be
curved and bent, and are set in a vertical position, that is, with the
edges uppermost; this of course is very delicate work which requires
good craftsmanship and much patience.
In making the tjaps, the copper plates of different thicknesses are
first cut into strips, each strip of the same width. The design for
the tjap is made on paper, and the copper strips are bent in the
various shapes as indicated in this design. Here is where the good
craftsmanship is essential as it is no easy matter to reproduce fine
curved lines with the strips, especially in the case of flowered
designs as no sharp angles may be shown in the bending of the copper.
Then the whole design is soldered together, and fixed by the same
process on to the frame to which the handle is attached.
This does not, however, complete the die-maker’s work, for as in batik
work with the tjanting where the material is waxed on both sides, so
with the tjap does the fabric have to be printed on the reverse side
as well. Thus, the die-maker has to make a second tjap in which the
design is the exact reverse of the first one. It takes a die-maker
about twenty days to make a complete set, that is two corresponding
tjaps, each about eight by eight inches square, for which he gets
about $8.00. Out of this of course he has to pay for his materials.
When the tjaps are finished and found correct, that is, when every
little line on one die is found to correspond exactly with the same
line on the reverse block, then it is the business of the printer to
print the tjaps so that no difference is shown in the design. The
making of a pair of tjaps is only necessary when an irregular design
is to be produced, as in the case of a symmetrical pattern the same
die can be used on both sides.
For the reproduction of a not very elaborate tjanting design, a set of
thirteen to fifteen tjaps is required; this means with the reverse set
at least twenty-six to thirty separate dies. The original outlay for
the making of a tjap may be great, but if the amount of work that can
be done with one set is considered, it can be seen at once that the
prices of pieces done by this process will be very low.
The printing of tjaps is practically always done by men. The workman
sits on a low stool, and in front of him is a slanting table to which
a large pad is attached; over this the piece that is to be printed
is spread. The wax is heated in a flat pan, in which there is a pad
of jute, covered with unbleached muslin. The wax is transferred to
the metal by pressing the tjap on to this pad. To remove the surplus
wax from the tjap the printer swings the die up and down a couple of
times and then presses the tjap on to the material in the place where
the decoration is desired. After covering one side of the material
in this manner, the same process is repeated on the other side. As
the wax shines through the fabric, it is not a difficult matter for
the printer to place his die in the exact position, so that it will
register correctly, but nevertheless, there will be very few pieces
made in this way found without a slight inaccuracy in the design.
Although all the actual line work in a tjap is done by the use of
dies, a certain amount of the work, such as filling in spaces and big
surfaces, has to be done by hand with the tjanting. This, however,
amounts to a very small proportion of the work when compared with
the amount of labour required in the making of a real batik. A good
printer can print about twenty pieces of material, sarong length, a
day, while it would take twelve to fifteen days to produce _one_
piece of a similar design, with a tjanting.
The European printed imitations of batik meet with very little
favour among the native Javanese, who are very critical of art and
craftsmanship and the importations only find a market among the poor.
[Sidenote: NATIVE INDUSTRY]
For the most part, batik is a home occupation of the native, but some
districts have become quite manufacturing centres. The industry is
chiefly under the management of the Chinese with the natives as their
workmen. In the district of Lassem, where a great deal of batik work
is done, the Chinese employers give the work out to the natives, who
do it in their homes. Fifty to a hundred kains will be given out to
one man, who will have them waxed and they will then be fetched by
another worker who will do the dyeing. This work will bring in to
the native, on an average, the lordly sum of two and a half cents
(American money) a day, and it is estimated that in the neighbourhood
of Lassem alone, there are some 4300 people subsisting on this
munificent salary. At that, this group of workers are rather better
off than the women who are employed directly by the Chinese for the
finer batik work. Large numbers of them bind themselves to work for
three years, at the beginning of which period they are given thirty
gilders, equivalent to about $12.00; they are given board and lodging
and once a year a new outfit, but they receive no more pay. Many of
them work like this for years in succession and from time to time they
borrow small sums of money from their employers which they cannot
pay back, with the result that they are never out of debt and are
consequently, to all intents and purposes, practically owned by their
exploiters. Authentic figures give 2100 natives working under these
conditions in Lassem.
There are a few establishments run by the Dutch in Java, who, besides
producing pure native designs, have used native adaptations of
European designs with splendid results.
[Illustration: NATIVE DESIGN SHOWING EUROPEAN INFLUENCE]
[Illustration: PURE NATIVE DESIGN ADAPTED FOR EUROPEAN USE]
A combination of Javanese and European influences is shown in the
illustration facing page 14. This pillow-top, batiked by a Dutch
artist, has native motives, arranged in a symmetrical design. As a
batik, it is about the finest piece the writer has been able to find,
as there is no flaw in the execution. The stiff geometrical pattern,
however, does not give quite such a pleasing effect as the freer
Javanese design. A sample of this is shown facing page 14 which is
pure Javanese decoration. It shows the arrangement of a bird and some
octopuses and was used for a small pillow-top; the artist has been
left free in this design, not being tied down to a geometrical repeat,
and the result artistically is far superior to the previous design.
In the event of some enthusiast wishing to batik in the actual native
manner, he can do so by following the process as described by a native
and translated here word for word:—
[Sidenote: NATIVE PROCESS]
“Batik is the art of dyeing fabric in one piece in different dyes
consecutively, through the combination of which the pattern of the
design is produced. The materials used in this process are cotton and
very occasionally silk, wax, wax mixed with rosin and dyes. The dyes
usually are vegetable although aniline is used, but rarely.
“The first of these batik requirements the native buys at the Pasar
(market), the dyes they make themselves and in the case of the blue
dye it is as a rule the property of a professional dyer, who is called
the ‘toekang medel.’
“The cotton used now by batikers is always of European manufacture
and is graded according to the fineness of the texture. The different
qualities are known severally as, ‘mori moeslim’ or fine-weave cotton,
‘mori mentah’ or unbleached cotton, and ‘mori kasar’ or coarse-weave
cotton. The second grade is subdivided into ‘mori mentah aloes’ which
is the fine grade of the unbleached cotton and ‘mori mentah kasar’
or coarse unbleached. This last kind is only used by the native
aristocracy for the clothing of the members of their household; they
themselves wear batik of ‘mori moeslim’ or ‘mori mentah aloes.’
“The measure used when cotton is bought at the ‘Pasar’ is called
‘katja’ or ‘saptangnan’ and it is a square measure, that is to say,
if, for instance, the cloth is a yard wide then the measure or ‘katja’
is a yard square and if the width is a yard and a half, the ‘katja’ is
a yard and a half.
“The cotton as it comes from the market is not immediately ready to
be batiked. If it is a bleached cotton it has to be treated for the
removal of all the starch, chalk and other stiffening with which it
is dressed. This is done by washing it several times in clear cold
water. It is then soaked for several days in cocoanut oil; this in its
turn is boiled out in water containing the ashes of burnt rice stalks;
this process is continued till the fabric is free from oil. This
soaking and boiling is always done, whether the material is bleached
or unbleached, and is called ‘mateng’ which literally translated means
‘done’ or cooked thoroughly.
“After the piece is dried in the sun, the cut edges are hemmed—‘didjilid.’
Now the material has to be starched again, ‘njekoeli’; this stiffening
is to prevent the wax from flowing too freely,—a condition known
as ‘mresep.’ The rice water that is used for this, is made from a
strained rice gruel, or more simply, the water is used in which the
rice has been boiled. After the material has been starched it is
‘dipe’ or dried once more in the sun and it is then rolled up. This
roll is laid on a wooden board, ‘kemplomgen’ and pounded with a wooden
hammer, ‘gandeng,’ or if a hammer is not available, the wooden rice
pestle, ‘aloe’ can be used. This process is called ‘nganplongi’ and is
to make the material soft and supple. Now the material is ready to be
batiked, and the following materials and tools are needed.
“1. Wax. Usually six parts of ‘melam geplak’ and one part ‘melam
poetih’ are used, with sometimes the addition of a little ‘melam
ireng.’ The ‘melam geplak’ consists of a mixture of ‘damar mata
koetjing’ which is a kind of rosin that comes from Borneo, melted
with animal fat. The ‘melam poetih’ is pure bees-wax and the ‘melam
ireng’ is dark coloured wax which has been used already in a previous
batik and which has become dark from the blue dye which it took up
when in the blue dye-bath. The first two kinds of wax can be bought
at any market, but not the ‘melam ireng,’ as every one who batiks
always saves enough dark wax from former work, or in case of need, a
neighbour will always lend some.
“2. A pan called ‘wadjan’ in which to melt the wax. This is generally
of iron, though poor people use stone pots.
[Sidenote: DIFFERENT KINDS OF TJANTINGS]
[Sidenote: PRICE OF NATIVE TJANTING]
“3. A little copper instrument called ‘tjanting’ used in drawing with
the wax on the material. It is made of fine thin red copper and has
one or more little spouts and a bamboo handle. These tjanting have
different names according to the type of work for which they are used,
(a) Tjanting ‘isen isen’; this has a very slender spout and is used to
make very fine lines and little dots, (b) Tjanting ‘kjandangen’: this
instrument has a larger spout and is used to wax the parts which have
to stay white in the first process, (c) Tjanting ‘penangang’; this is
the tjanting used to cover up the bigger surfaces, (d) The ‘penembok’
has a very wide spout to cover parts that are to be completely
protected by wax, (e) The tjanting ‘pengada’ has two spouts next
each other for the drawing of parallel lines. There are various other
varieties that have three, five and sometimes as many as six spouts
for making little rosettes and groups of dots. Tjantings are always
made by men and the work is not subdivided, that is to say, one man
makes the instrument from start to finish; as a rule the makers have
at least twenty-five tjanting in the course of construction at the
same time. It takes a good workman six to seven days to make about 250
of the little tools, that is, about forty a day. Figuring the cost
of materials and charcoal used in the making, together with overhead
expenses and the receipts figuring at the rate of 24 cents (American
money), for 240 tjantings, it will be seen that an excellent craftsman
makes on an average about 30 cents in Dutch money, equivalent to 12
cents American, a day.
“4. The ‘djegoel,’ an instrument which replaces the brush used in
Europe and is made of a thin wooden stick with a wad of cotton tied
to the end. This is for waxing very large surfaces.
“5. The ‘iroes.’ This is a spoon made out of cocoanut shell and has a
bamboo handle; it is used to mix the melted wax and to scoop the wax
off the water in which the finished batik has been boiled.
“6. The ‘wadja.’ The copper pan in which the fabric is boiled when the
wax is being removed.
“7. The ‘panjawanjan.’ A small movable stand over which the material
is hung during the waxing process.
“8. The ‘tjawang.’ A small bamboo clip used to fasten the fabric to
the stand. Rich batikers use an iron clip called “bandoel.”
“9. The ‘doelang.’ A large wooden trough for dyeing.
“10. The ‘pane.’ A small vessel also used for dye made of wood,
copper, or earthenware.
“11. The ‘blebeo.’ A wooden straight-edge for use when drawing
straight lines—a process called ‘batikan garisan.’
“12. The ‘semprong.’ A blow-pipe with which to blow the fire. The
fire is made, as a rule, between three stones set in the form of a
triangle, upon which the wax pot is placed.
“To do real batik work the proceedings are as follows. First the main
outline of the design is sketched on the material, with charcoal or
pencil, and when this is completed the fabric is hung over the little
stand and with the tjanting the design is drawn in with wax, the
material meanwhile being supported with the left hand; the worker sits
on a little mat in front of her stand. The finer parts of the pattern
are drawn in without pencil guiding lines.
“When one side is decorated the piece is turned around and the back is
very carefully drawn in. With all the surfaces covered which are not
intended to be blue it is ready for the blue dye-bath. This dyeing in
blue is done by the batiker herself or more often by the professional
blue-dyer who does it for a small remuneration. If red is planned on
the batik, the wax is removed from the places where this colour is
wanted by sponging with hot water. The material is then re-starched
with rice water, aren sugar and pulverized randoe leaves, so that the
wax will not run or become soft. The parts that are to remain blue
have to be re-covered with wax and the piece is ready for the red dye.
“This red dye is made from an infusion of soga bark; successive
dippings are made until the desired colour is obtained. To make the
colour permanent and at the same time to obtain the much desired
purple glow, the material is dipped in a bath made of a mixture of
Java sugar, whiting, and alum. It is left in this solution for about
an hour, after which it is well rinsed and transferred to a hot water
bath. The water is boiled and the wax is dissolved; the wax floating
on the top of the water is collected for further use. The finished
batik is then dried in the sun. If other colours are required on the
piece the same program is repeated.”
BATIK IN HOLLAND
Batik in America is still a comparatively recent importation; brought
here some ten years ago, it was met with absolute incomprehension and
lack of interest, but its real merit as a means of decorating fabrics
has earned it a place in the industrial art of the nation and year by
year it is gaining wider recognition.
[Sidenote: HISTORY]
For two hundred and seventy odd years it has been known in Holland,
to which country it was brought by the Dutch traders from Java in
the middle of the seventeenth century. It was not, however, received
very enthusiastically and the commercial failure that followed the
importation of some 2000 pieces (which were finally sold at auction,
as no market could be found for them through regular channels) did not
encourage traders in their efforts to popularize batiks. From that
time, that is, about 1750 until 1817, interest in the work decidedly
flagged and the honour of reviving it must be given primarily to
Raffles who gave a description of it in his well known “History of
Java” published at the latter date. He, however, seems to have had
very little personal feeling for the art and merely wrote it up as a
matter of history, and it remained for the modern artists to give it
is first real impetus.
[Sidenote: DUTCH ARTISTS OF FAME]
The present keen interest in the craft is mainly due to Chris Lebeau,
Dijesselhof and Lion Cachet, who have, by their wonderful work,
revived and stimulated a nation-wide appreciation of the art.
American batik has recently gone through a phase of development
similar to that experienced in Holland some twelve years ago. It has
been in danger of getting into the class of transient “cults” and
becoming a fashionable pastime with a rise and fall similar to the
craze for doing peasant wood-carving, burnt-wood work or sweater
knitting. But here, too, its real merit has saved it from becoming
just a modish amusement. In Holland it was even introduced into girls’
schools as a regular course, so that graduates might enter the social
world fully equipped! Luckily for its ultimate survival, however, it
required so much technical knowledge that it was soon left to serious
students, but the desire for the beautiful results obtained by the
process was not relinquished so willingly and the result was that
people tried to produce the effect without the work. This imitation
was called a “secret process” and enjoyed considerable vogue.
The general public believed that this substitute was real batik,
because the material had been dipped and some wax had been used, but
any one who knew anything about the genuine process, was not fooled
and recognized that stencils and various other fake methods had been
utilized. The unlimited patience of the native worker was unknown,
and unsung was the thoroughness of the painstaking craftsman. At this
period the watch-word was “speed” and the results showed it.
[Illustration: CONVENTIONAL FISH DESIGN BY CHRIS LEBEAU]
The importance placed on the “crackle effect” is another parallel in
the phases of development in Holland and America. Crackle certainly
has its place in the beauty of batik, but the indiscriminate use of
it as a complete motive of decoration in itself, is to be regretted.
It would be used less, probably, if examples of the best native and
European work were studied, in which real design and colour are the
arresting features.
Even whilst admitting that the medium does limit the designer to a
certain extent, study of the work of the before-mentioned Dutchmen,
Dijesselhof and Lebeau, will show the variety of design, feeling and
temperament that can be expressed through the batik process.
[Sidenote: DIJESSELHOF]
[Sidenote: LEBEAU]
Dijesselhof considers batik a better way to express himself for his
mural decorations than either oil or water colour painting. He uses
the brush to a great extent and works with great freedom of execution,
making the medium conform to his own particular type of work. Lebeau,
on the other hand, after the manner of the Javanese, sees the tjanting
as the only tool with which to produce his richly fantastic designs.
Lebeau is technically the greater artist and possesses a supreme
disregard of time when he is producing a magnificently ornamented
textile; his attitude toward his work is reminiscent of that of the
monks who in bygone ages, spent years on the intricate and beautiful
ornamentation of their laboriously hand-lettered books of devotion.
They, too, had perfection of design and craftsmanship as their only
standard.
These men have been an inspiration to Dutch artists, and the
illustration of a batik by Chris Lebeau facing page 26 will give the
reader a good idea of the high standard of proficiency this Dutch
artist and craftsman has achieved. It will be seen that no actual
lines were used in these designs; if a line effect was wanted it was
made by a series of little round dots, almost equal in size, with the
result that a soft pleasing line is obtained instead of a hard one.
[Illustration: GEOMETRICAL FISH DESIGN BY CHRIS LEBEAU]
By graduating the size of the dots, from small to large, an effect is
produced that never could be obtained with lines; not only are the
lines treated in this way, but whole surfaces in which a light tone
is desired, instead of being “covered off” with a brush, are laid in
with countless dots very close together. As can be readily understood
this hand-work requires the acme of craftsmanship, for if the dots
are placed irregularly, that is to say, if their arrangement is not
directly harmonious with the main lines of the design, the pattern
formed by the spaces between them, would disturb the rest of the
drawing.
In the second reproduction it can be seen that the little dots are
actually laid in circles, but with such regularity that no circles are
shown. The workmanship in the stork design is even more amazing than
that of the two first decorations and it is hard to believe that a
human being has had sufficient patience to execute such a design.
[Sidenote: EUROPEAN USE OF BATIK]
In Europe, batiks are chiefly used for interior decoration; table
covers, screens and lamp-shades being more popular than costumes
decorated by the process. It is also used to a certain extent in
book-binding, on paper and on parchment. Practically the same methods
are employed when batiking these materials as for woven goods, but
experimenters are advised to take the greatest care when handling
paper, which of course, when wet, tears very easily.
To batik parchment it is necessary to first soak it, in order to
make it pliable, then whilst wet, it should be stretched on a piece
of plate glass, slightly larger than the parchment, and glued at the
edges with strips of paper binding. When thoroughly dry the design is
pounced on or drawn in with pencil. Before starting to apply the wax
the glass must be warmed from the back, in order to make certain of
an easy flowing of the wax; if the parchment is cold it will be found
that the wax congeals too quickly and will not be workable. The parts
of the design to be left un-coloured are covered with wax as usual,
and a little wall of clay is built around the edge of the glass; this
forms a bath into which the dye is poured. The colour is allowed to
soak in thoroughly and the dye is then poured off, the process being
repeated if the tone from the first bath is not intense enough; other
colours are applied in the same way. The wax is then removed by
sponging carefully with gasoline.
[Illustration: STORK PANEL BY CHRIS LEBEAU]
[Illustration: FLAMINGO CURTAIN BY PIETER MIJER]
Aniline dyes are used chiefly and occasionally acids which produce
colour by their action on each other, are employed. Vegetable dyes
are popular in Holland on account of their permanence, the Dutch
being almost as particular about the durability of their work as the
Javanese. This is natural when one remembers that, there, the batik
art is considered in the same light as painting and sculpture, and
frequent exhibitions are held for a public whose attitude toward the
craft is very different to that of many Americans, who do not yet
appreciate the art as an art.
Beside public interest, the government of Holland has done its best
to stimulate the study of the craft. Experimenting stations are
maintained, where free of all cost, the artist can have his batiked
design dyed and he is given all the information and help that he
wants. This, of course, means a great deal to the beginner who knows
little or no chemistry, some knowledge of which is quite essential to
one who would become a really expert dyer.
UTENSILS AND MATERIALS
Before going into the details of the actual batik process it will
perhaps be a good plan to give a description of the necessary tools
and their management, wax, and various other essential requirements.
The tools chiefly used, are the native instrument called the
“tjanting,” the brush, and the European wax pencil. Of these three the
tjanting and the brush are most generally used, the wax pencil being a
somewhat clumsy affair and hard to handle.
[Illustration: THE USE OF BATIK IN INTERIOR DECORATION]
[Sidenote: TJANTINGS]
The “tjanting” used in America is a modification of the Javanese
instrument; it is a little cup-shaped tool with a handle set at
right-angles to the base on one side and on the other is a fine spout
arrangement. Through this spout the hot wax is drawn by capillary
attraction when the point is brought in contact with the material. In
the best type of “tjanting” the spout is tapered toward the point;
this shaping is in order that the volume of wax, small though it
is, will hold the heat longer than if the entire length of the tube
were as minute as the hole through which it is finally drawn.
In batiking with the tjanting the wax is scooped out of the pot in
which it is being kept hot and the instrument is wiped off carefully
before it is brought near the fabric. It does not do to take a chance
on having a drop of wax fall on the work as it is next to impossible
to remove it entirely. Some people hold their tjanting directly over
a flame to re-heat cooling wax, but it is a very unwise practice as
there is a grave danger of hurting the spout and a likelihood of the
wax becoming charred. If the wax does get too cold to work with, or
the spout gets stopped up with chilled wax, hold the bowl of the
tjanting in the hot wax in the melting pot and it will be found that
the trouble is remedied instantly. If you have been unlucky enough to
get grit or some other clogging substance in the spout, the insertion
of a fine hair wire will usually clear it; this is almost a major
operation though and should be performed most carefully as it is a
delicate instrument you are handling and it costs money to repair
it even if you are in the neighbourhood of some one who is able to
re-solder it.
So fragile is the point of these fine instruments that even the sudden
check caused by the rough fibre of some materials is sufficient to
ruin the tip. When not in use the safest plan is to hang it in a box
of its own or at least keep it in a place sacred to itself, with its
spout upwards, so that there is no likelihood of accidental pressure
to bend it out of shape. This careful handling of the tjanting is
emphasized because, while the initial cost of a good instrument may
seem high, it is a most satisfactory tool to use and with proper
attention it should last a life-time. One that is in use today has
been used steadily for the past twelve years and looks good for
holding many more pints of melted wax.
[Illustration: CLEANING THE TJANTING]
[Illustration: DYING OF TEXTILE]
The frontispiece shows a piece in which all the line work was done
with a tjanting, the brush only being used to fill in the big
surfaces, after the various dippings. The design is an adaptation
from the Chinese, inspired by the decoration on a coramandel screen.
The panel is worked out in seven colours: two golds, two greens, red,
brown, and black. It was designed by the writer and executed by Emile
Weeckers and himself.
The spout openings come in various sizes and with the finest almost
hair-lines can be produced. The wax when ready to flow forms an
infinitesimal globule which will run freely when just touched to the
material and skimmed as lightly as possible over the surface. A heavy
hand will drop the point so that it touches the fabric; the moment it
does this the hole is automatically sealed and the wax cannot flow.
Many batikers are not able to obtain a tjanting and would not if they
could, preferring to do their waxing entirely with brushes. Brushes,
properly trimmed and of various sizes, will certainly give very
satisfactory results to the careful worker. Of course the minute line
possible with the tjanting, is impossible to achieve with a brush,
though a line as narrow as the sixteenth of an inch can be made by a
practised craftsman.
[Sidenote: USE OF BRUSH]
The all-over floral design shown facing page 36, designed by the
writer and executed by Miss E. Shirtleff, was made in six colours.
This panel was done in the “blue group,” explained in the chapter on
dyeing. The outline of the flowers is in the original white of the
material, the petals of the flowers range in colour from straw yellow
to orange, with some of the outer ones in moss green. The background
has a “wave design” worked out in all the different colours used in
the flowers and an extra shade of dark green. The waxing of this piece
was done entirely with the brush and has no line of a greater width
than one-sixteenth of an inch.
[Illustration: FLORAL DESIGN ENTIRELY EXECUTED WITH A BRUSH]
[Sidenote: PREPARING BRUSHES]
This fine work is easier with shaped brush; this shaping is done
without much difficulty by dipping the brush, preferably a good sable
one, into hot wax, and, without pressing the globule formation out of
shape, gently wiping the excess of wax from the distended bristles.
Allow this to cool and when hard, trim to a point with a sharp
knife. Melt the cold wax out by dipping in the wax pot and you will
have a brush that will be more manageable and will hold more wax for
the size of its point, than one would have with the regular unshaped
brush. For covering big surfaces, one or two flat soft-haired varnish
brushes will be needed.
[Sidenote: WAX MIXTURES]
[Sidenote: “CRACKLE”]
For waxing, bees-wax with a mixture of white paraffin wax is used by
most batikers, the proportion varying according to the brittleness
desired. This of course is best worked out to suit the individual
batiker’s requirements and after a little experimenting one soon
learns to get a satisfactory mixture. One part paraffin to five
parts of bees-wax will give the consistency of medium to produce the
crackle surface so popular with many artists in America. Pure bees-wax
cracks very little and will stand the highest temperature when in the
dye-bath, and inversely the larger proportion of paraffin used the
more the medium will crackle and the cooler the dye-bath must be used
if one does not want one’s design to melt away. When no crackle at all
is desired, the solution can be made more pliable by the addition
of rosin. Use this, however, in hot dyes only, for it has unpleasant
mannerisms, one of which is to increase the mixture’s brittleness when
it is made to undergo a cold plunge.
Whilst on the subject of wax, a word may be well said regarding the
care that should be taken to keep water out of the neighbourhood of
the wax pot. One has only to allow a drop of water to get itself into
the melted wax just once, to find out what a horribly messy spattering
and explosion can result. One may gain in understanding and be able to
sympathize with long-suffering relatives who declare that “Batik is
such a messy business,” but it is hardly worth it. Of course it need
not happen if a few precautions are taken, and it is perhaps better to
take care at first than to run the risk of becoming unpopular in the
household.
Another warning that may be of service to the worker in the country.
Do not apply wax, in summer time, seated near an open window. A really
true story tells how a batiker was sitting coolly working by a window
and was visited by a solitary bee, who took a good look and one
sniff at the wax pot and flew away. He returned immediately, however,
with all his relations who swarmed gaily all over the work, the wax
pot, and the worker to the great discomfort of the visited and the
visitors. Exploding in boiling wax can hardly be a comfortable end to
a busy life.
[Sidenote: HEATING APPARATUS]
To complete the outfit one also needs a small agate pan in which
to melt the wax, one about four inches deep will answer best and
some sort of heating apparatus. A kerosene stove should not be used
unless one is willing to blacken one’s utensils and most probably
one’s self. Gas or an alcohol lamp with an adjustable burner are more
satisfactory than an electric attachment as the ability to regulate
the heat makes for great comfort when one wants to keep the wax at an
even temperature. Of course if necessity demands it, any heat producer
available can be used; an electric flat-iron turned upside-down can
even be pressed into service although the inconvenience of having to
keep one eye on the melting pot is great, when one wishes to give all
one’s attention to the design; but if it is not watched the result
may be a most uncomfortable “smoking-out.” Work in a warm room or
near the stove and it will be found that the wax when in the tjanting
will chill less quickly and will consequently be more manageable.
These little hints may seem of small importance, but it is as well to
take advantage of everything that will make the actual tool handling
easier. There are likely to be troubles and mis-adventures enough with
the rest of the process.
[Sidenote: DYES]
[Sidenote: REMOVING STAIN]
A great many people seem to be under the impression that the ordinary
household dyes that are on the market are not good enough to use
in batik work. There is a strong prejudice against Diamond dyes,
but there is no reason for it, as these dyes when used according to
directions, produce admirable results and are most practical for the
beginner who is not in need of large quantities. For any one going
extensively into dyeing, it is rather an expensive way of working and
it is better to buy the dyes in bulk direct from the manufacturer.
Rubber gloves will give some protection to the hands when handling
materials in the dye-bath, but if, in spite of care, the hands or
clothing become stained, soda or ammonia in the washing water will
prove helpful. Lava soap is very good for removing stains from the
skin.
[Sidenote: DYE TUBS]