Batik skirt cloth in "lotus pond" style, Cirebon, Java. Cotton, wax-resist dyeing, mid 20th century
Batik skirt cloth in "lotus pond" style, Cirebon, Java. Cotton, wax-resist dyeing, mid 20th century
$1.00
“Sometimes you come across snooty ladies in big hairdos from Jakarta who specifically ask for the most expensive pieces of batik in the shop,” a batik enterpreneur in Cirebon told us recently. “But sometimes there are ladies who say things like: ‘are you sure people will buy your batiks if you charge such high prices?’. But dear God Almighty, they are talking about our cheaper hand-painted batiks which are still extremely difficult to make. Half a million rupiah ($37) for those rich ladies is nothing. It’s already hard to find good, dedicated batik makers these days."