Step 6 of 14

Kain Pandjang

Related Images

  • Fig. 12: Batik Blanda made in the Netherlands with imitation semen motif, ca. 1890. From the private collection of Laurens Tan
  • Fig. 13: A Javanese family posing for a picture, ca. 1934-1937. From Museum Wereldculturen “World Cultures Museum”, [inv. Nr. 7082-nf-684-44-1](https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11840/1241592)

This is a batik cloth with a width of approximately 110 cm and a length of 250 cm. Unlike the sarong, this cloth is not sewn at the ends. The kain pandjang is wrapped several times around the body with pleats (called wiru in Javanese) that may or may not be carefully folded at the front. In general, in Java, the kain pandjang is seen as more formal compared to the sarong.

It probably has to do with the fact that the kain pandjang plays an important role in the court orders of both men and women in the sultanates of Yogyakarta and Solo. Figure 13 shows a Javanese family in which both men and women wear a kain pandjang with the wiru. Figure 12 shows a Batik Blanda trying to imitate a Javanese semen pattern. The repetitive motif of the wooden block stamps is clearly visible.