The buketan design, comprising large bouquets of European flowers interspersed with butterflies and birds, is repeated on this sarong. Bouquets of calla lily are shown on both the brown kepala (broad vertical panel of the sarong) and badan (‘body’ or main design feature). The artist, Jane Hendromartono, used a variety of intricate filler motifs (isen) on the calla lily petals, giving depth to the overall design. Interesting background motifs, such as the tiny castles on the cream badan are also depicted. 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 mother of the donors, Jane Hendromartono, the last of the three generations. Jane Hendromartono came from a family of batik makers in Pekalongan. She used many names in her lifetime. Her first batiks were created under her mother’s name, Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing (1895–1966). She began using her husband’s name, Liem Siok Hien, in 1947. From 1967 her works were marketed as Hendromartono’s Batik Art “Unique”, using her husband’s new Indonesian family name. She rarely repeated designs, and her highly individualistic style and inventive use of colour made her batiks popular at home and abroad.
