Sarong

This sarong is decorated with a buketan (bouquet) and butterflies. The badan (body) contains tendrils with flowers serving as filler motifs. The kepala (head) is set against a orange background with more flowers interspersed. It is signed "Nj: Oeij Kok Sing / Touw Tjoen Ik", indicating that this was a collaborative piece made by Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing and her daughter Nyonya Touw Tjoen Ik (born Oeij Kheng Nio). Oeij is the historical Dutch spelling for Oey, a Chinese Indonesian surname of Hokkien origin. Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing was a second-generation batik maker in Pekalongan. She began to produce high quality batiks in the 1920s. Her batiks from the 1930s reveal great technical virtuosity and a creative use of colour, made possible by synthetic dyes from Europe. After the Second World War, her daughter Jane Hendromartono (1924–1988) took over the family batik business.