Alternating bands of motifs decorate this sarong in its entirety. Diagonal bands are shown on the kepala (broad vertical panel of the batik), and are filled with two alternating floral designs that are also arranged diagonally. In contrast, vertical bands are depicted on the badan (main design feature or ‘body’ of the batik). Alternating swirling tendrils and starburst motifs form the background for pairs of phoenixes and floral motifs. 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.
