This red ‘batik saputangan’ (handkerchief) was used by the Nonyas (Peranakan women) in Cirebon. It is a square cloth featuring a lattice of diamonds with spiral motifs or floral motifs. The batik cloths favoured by the Nonyas are distinctive, not only for their cosmopolitan blend of Chinese, Indian and European influence, but also for their bright colours. Hybrid Chinese-indigenous communities along the northern coast of Java—a region known as ‘pasisir’—have long been heavily involved in the production of batik textiles. Each of the pasisir towns of Cirebon, Lasem and Pekalongan became well-known for their own styles.
