The main design feature or ‘body’ (badan) of this kain panjang is decorated with diagonal bands of mythical and fantastical animals and birds, embellished with a variety of filler motifs. The broad vertical panel of the cloth (kepala) is split in this design structure. On both sides of the spilt kepala, interlocking triangles or tumpal are shown, with one side additionally decorated with two vertical rows of upright diamond medallions. 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.
