Pastel pink and lilac synthetic dyes are applied to the badan (‘body’ or main design field of the batik) and kepala (broad vertical panel) respectively. The buketan design, comprising large bouquets of European flowers interspersed with butterflies and birds, is repeated on this sarong. On some of the motifs, outlines are barely visible and form is given intricately drawn filler motifs instead. 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.
