Batik - from Java to Amsterdam

JAVA

The art of decorating cloth using wax and dye has been practised for centuries in many parts of the world including China, Japan, India, South America and Europe but there is nowhere to rival the batik produced in Java.

The word batik originates from the Javanese word tik, which means ‘to dot’,  and all the raw materials for the process – cotton, beeswax, natural plant dyes – were readily available.

No one knows when batik was first produced on this Indonesian island, but traditional batik-making skills were particularly well developed around the Court cities of Yogyakarta and Solo in central Java under the patronage of the Sultan and his family. Making batik was seen as an important skill for a young woman of noble birth in this area. Before beginning a new cloth, a women would spend a night in meditation and prayer and the cloths she made were revered and preserved as heirlooms for future generations. Many of the designs produced in this area were created specifically for the Sultan, his wider family or members of the Court.

Elsewhere on the island, particularly in north coast trading ports such as Pekalongan, the influence of the Court was less strong, and designs were instead influenced by the market. For example, Chinese settlers set up their own batik workshops, selling the fabrics to their communities in Indonesia and China, while in the 19th century, workshops run by Dutch-Indonesian women produced beautiful batik cloths with European influenced designs for the many colonial families living in Indonesia and to send back to Holland.

AMSTERDAM

This is how, in the early 20th century, the architects of the Amsterdam School came into contact with Indonesian batik. Inspired by the patterns and colours, they created carpets, fabrics and stained-glass windows and used the batik technique to paint wooden clocks, boxes and furniture.

Our Creative Getaway in the Netherlands in February 2026 includes a workshop at Het Schip Museum (which was designed by one of the most important members of the Amsterdam School, Michel de Klerk), inspired by the craft of batik. You will look at a number of objects in the museum’s collection, discuss the techniques used by both the Indonesians and the Amsterdam School and then get hands-on and with batik to create your own tote bag.