Batik: Fabled Cloth of Java

Arts & Activities, Dec, 2004 by Jerome J. Hausman

BATIK: Fabled Cloth of Java (2004, $40) by Inger McCabe Elliott. Turtle Publishing (Periplus Editions), 364 Innovative Dr., N. Clarendon, VT 05759.

This impressive and beautifully executed volume would serve as an excellent reference for secondary-school students in art and cultural history. To paraphrase the book: "No one knows exactly where and when people first began to apply wax, vegetable paste, paraffin or even mud to cloth that would then resist a dye. But it was on Java and nearby Madura that it emerged as one of the great art forms of Asia. Records from the coast of Malabar in 1516 suggest that painted cloth for export may have been batiked." Included are 120 color photographs of the finest antique and contemporary pieces drawn from 30 museums and private collections, as well as historical photographs, etchings, engravings, maps and photographs of modern Java. Students and teachers can use this book to understand the intricacy of the batik process, and the craft and skill required to work in this art form. The book contains a brief glossary and an excellent bibliography.-J.J.H. For information about this publication, circle No. 387 on the Reader Service Card.