PEKALONGAN BATIK MOTIVES, INTERACTIONS PEKALONGAN SOCIETY WITH VARIOUS PEOPLE OF NATIONS

Jlamprang Batik

Batik appeared in Pekalongan since around the year of 1800. According to history, Pekalongan Batik motives, like little tree motive was found in the year of 1802.

The significant development was estimated to happen after the big war in the year of 1825 up to 1830 in the kingdom of Mataram. This battle pushed the royal families and the followers to evacuate from the kingdom. They were then widespread eastwards and westwards as well. In those new regions these families and the followers developed batik that nowadays known as Pekalongan Batik.

Jlamprang Batik Motive

The interactions between Pekalongan society with various people of nations like Chinese, Dutch, Arabic, Indians, Malays and Japanese gave a big contribution to the dynamics of the coloring of batik art motives. As the result then several new batik motives that then known as the identity of Pekalongan Batik.

The motives are called Jlamprang Batik, influenced by the Indian and Arabian. Motive Jlamprang Batik is one of the most popular batik produced in the region Krapyak Pekalongan. This is the development of batik motif fabric from India Potola sometimes shaped geometric form of stars or of the wind and using the branch that ends a square. Batik is immortalized Jlamprang be one way in Pekalongan. 

Encim Batik Motive

Encim and Klengenan Batik, influenced by the Chinese. 

Encim Batik is highly influenced by the Chinese cultures, which can be seen in the colors composition which often represents the color combinations common applied in Chinese porcelene. Encim Batik is usually consists of 3 motifs; buketan, the Chinese symbols, and painting motif.

a. Buketan motive, usually applied in variety of colors such as famille rose, famille verte and many others.

b. Chinese symbols motive, usually represents the holy animals in Chinese culture such as hong bird (which symbolizes happiness), dragon  (which symbolizes precaustions), butterfly and many others.

c. Painting motive, which tells stories about chinese weddings, or inspired by the legend of Sam Pek Eng Tay, the story of lovers from different social classes which fought for their loves and destined to be together in death and turned to be butterfly. That’s why butterfly is believed to be the symbol of happy marriage in Chinese culture.
 

Encim Batik Motive

Klangenan Batik Motive

Encim Batik often applies kawung motif, sawat motif and lar motif because Encim Batik is also influenced by Solo-Yogya motif.
Other motif called Semarangan applies earth motif and well spread accross Pekalongan.  Some famous Encim Batik makers in Pekalongan are The Tie Siet, Oey Kok Sing and Oy Soe Tjoen from  Kedungwuni.

Batik Pagi Sore Motive

Batik Pagi Sore influenced by the Dutch and Hokokai Batik grown since the Japanese occupation in the second world war. Batik Pagi Sore motif were made by some Dutch producers in Pekalongan in early 1900, one of them is E. Van Zuylen. The product is known as van Zuylen Batik. Buketan motif with typical Dutch floras were commonly applied in Van Zulen Batik.  Some of the floras were Krishan flower, grapes and European style bouquet.

Some western motifs such as bridge, cupid (love symbol) horse shoe and klaverblad (luck symbol). Some legends like Snow White, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella are also applied in Batik Pagi Sore motives.

Hokokai Batik Motive

Pekalongan Batik becomes very special because it is supported by hundreds of small scale entrepreneurs, rather than big capital companies. Since last decade until now, the biggest part of Pekalongan Batik is produced as home industries product. Consequently Pekalongan Batik has tight connection with the life of Pekalongan society.

During the difficult days Pekalongan Batik became the icon of Batik development in Indonesia that  never gives up against the dynamic developments of time. Today Batik has been the daily life of Pekalongan society and become one of the primary products of Indonesia. Pekalongan is now acknowledged as Batik city, the nickname given by a long tradition of Batik that rooted in Pekalongan.