Art of coloring cloth barrier staining technique using 'Malam' is one of the ancient art form. The discovery in Ancient Egypt shows that this technique has been known since the 4th century BC, with the discovery of the mummy wrapping cloth which is coated 'Malam' to form a pattern. In Asia, a similar technique of batik is also applied in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) as well as in India and Japan during the Nara Period (645-794). In Africa, such as batik technique known by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, Soninke and Wolof as well as the tribe in Senegal. In Indonesia, batik is believed to have existed since the time of Majapahit, and became very popular late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. Produced batik batik is all up to the early twentieth century and new batik known after World War I or around the 1920s.
Although the word "batik" is derived from the Java language, the presence of batik in Java itself is not recorded. G.P. Rouffaer found batik technique is likely to be introduced from India or Sri Lanka in the 6th century or the 7th. On the other hand, J.L.A. Brandes (Dutch archaeologist) and F.A. Sutjipto (historian Indonesia) believe that the tradition of batik is a native of the area such as Toraja, Flores, Halmahera, and Papua. It should be noted that the region is not an area that is influenced by Hinduism, but is known to have an ancient tradition of making batik.
G.P. Rouffaer also reported that gringsing pattern has been known since the 12th century in Kediri, East Java. He concluded that this pattern could only be formed by using canting, so he found canting found in Java at the time about it. Detailed carvings resemble the pattern of batik cloth worn by Prajnaparamita, the statue of the Buddhist goddess of wisdom from the East Java 13th century. Detailed apparel featuring patterns vines and flowers complex similar to traditional Javanese batik pattern that can be found today. This suggests that create intricate batik pattern that can only be made by canting has been known in Java since the 13th century or even earlier.
Legend in Malay literature of the 17th century, Sulalatus Salatin tells Admiral Hang Nadim ordered by Sultan Mahmud to sail to India to get 140 pieces of fabric litter with 40 types of flower pattern on each page. Being unable to fulfill the order, he makes his own fabrics that. But unfortunately shipwrecked on the way home and only capable of carrying four pieces that make the emperor disappointed. By some commentators, the litter was interpreted as batik.
In European literature, batik technique was first described in the book History of Java (London, 1817) writings By Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. He was a British Governor in Java during Napoleon occupied the Netherlands. In 1873 a Dutch merchant Van Rijekevorsel give a piece of batik is obtained during a visit to Indonesia to Ethnic Museum in Rotterdam and in the early 19th century that batik began to reach its golden period. When exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, Indonesian batik amazed the public and artists.
Since industrialization and globalization, which introduces automation techniques, new types appear batik, known as batik and batik prints, while traditional batik produced by the technique of handwriting using canting and 'malam' is called batik. At the same time immigrants from Indonesia to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Batik also bring with them.
 |
| Malam is basic material of batik made which is kind of wax withdrawable |
 |
| Canting for Batik Handwriting |
