Iwan Tirta Batik

Batik: Royal Art of Indonesia (cont.)

As the technique of batiking became widespread, batik was beginning to be popular amongst the people outside the royal court. More and more people coveted the fashion of the royal taste-makers. To maintain their exclusivity and distinction, the aristocracy soon created some forbidden patterns or pola larangan.

The exclusivity started as a custom, and it was later decreed that certain patterns were prohibited to be worn by people outside the royal court. The governing classes were bequeathed with certain magical power, often expressed in special designs.

The prohibited patterns were, in principal, the diagonal motifs. The parang rusak motif was reserved for the highest court circles. The majestic parang rusak barong was traditionally a sacred motif, used only by the king's most magnificant ceremonial robes or as part of the offering to the spirits of the royal ancestors.


*Parang rusak kelitik* The smallest format of the parang rusak motif.	*Parang rusak gendreh* The medium-sized format of the parang rusak motif.	*Parang rusak barong* The largest format of the parang rusak motif, was formerly reserved for the ruler or his very close relatives.

To further set apart the royal court batik design from the common batik, a technique of gold leaf application was devised, known as prada or pinarada mas. The technique involved gluing pure gold leaf onto the batik. A unique glue was utilized, which was consisted of Chinese fish glue, mixed with water in which the ash from jangkang fruit was dissolved.

Gold leaf was used mostly to enhance the beauty of bridal batik. The most magnificent examples were found at the court of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. At the palace of the Susuhunan of Surakarta, the prada was used to beautify the large court batik called kampuhs or dodots.

Today, wearing or collecting batik is no longer exclusivity for the royal court members. In fact, it has become a part of every self-respecting individual's fashion wardrobe, both in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world. Ownership of fine pieces of batik are considered to be prestigious.

(Extracted from: Tirta, Iwan, Batik: A Play of Light and Shades, Jakarta: Gaya Favorite Press, 1996)

A technique of gold leaf
application known as
prada or pinarada mas

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