The buketan design, comprising large bouquets of European flowers interspersed with butterflies and birds, is the primary motif of this sarong. To differentiate the kepala (broad vertical panel of the batik) from the badan (‘body’ or main design field), a different shade of blue and flower variety are used for the background. This batik is part of a large group donated to the museum by the descendants of three generations of female batik makers from Pekalongan. It was made by the grandmother of the donors, Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing. Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing was a second-generation batik maker in Pekalongan. She began to produce high quality batiks in the 1920s. Her batiks from the 1930s reveal great technical virtuosity and a creative use of colour, made possible by synthetic dyes from Europe. After the Second World War, her daughter Jane Hendromartono (1924–1988) took over the family batik business.
