Sarong (Kain panjang)
1920–1940
- Medium
- Cotton, plain weave; hand-drawn, wax-resist-dyed (batik tulis)
- Dimensions
- 105.4 × 246.7 cm (41 1/2 × 97 1/8 in.)
- Genre
- Textile
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
gridscotton (textile)theatricalcostume - weavingwax resist dyeing (batik)resist dyeingtheaterskirt (garment)javaneseWisdomdiamond shapessquaresweaving - printedindonesiancostume20th CenturyTextileweavingprotectorplain weaving
About
This sarong (kain panjang) for men and women is ornamented with scenes from the Javanese shadow puppet theater called wayang kulit. Many wayang scenes have protective connotations, exemplified by the presence of Bhima, one of the heroes who represents the forces of good in the Indian epic the Mahabharata. The wayang figures on the textile symbolize the wisdom associated with older people who commonly wear these garments.