This sarong belongs to the Peranakan Chinese and would have been worn with a blouse known as a ‘kebaya’. It features a ‘kepala’ (‘head panel’) of alternate orange and blue diagonal stripes with foliage and floral designs. The rest of the body of the cloth is decorated with large floral bouquets and birds against a diagonal latticed background. Peranakan Chinese batik is noted for its gay colours—such as shades of orange, yellow, pink and mauve—made possible by the use of imported chemical dyes from Europe beginning in the 19th century.
