the craft
Batik Silk
Batik reached Bengal in the 1920s, when Rabindranath Tagore's circle at Santiniketan studied the wax resist craft of Java and brought it back to Kala Bhavana. Bengali artists lifted the technique off the Indonesian sarong and put it onto the saree, where it has stayed ever since. Hot wax is drawn onto the silk by hand, the cloth is dipped, and the wax is boiled away, one colour at a time. Where the wax cracks the dye seeps through and leaves the fine dark veining that no printed cloth can copy. Every piece is dyed on its own, so no two come out alike.
- Woven in
- Kolkata and Santiniketan, West Bengal
- Signature
- Hot wax drawn on silk by hand and dipped through successive dye baths; the fine dark crackle left where the wax splits is the mark of the craft and never repeats
Batik Silk pieces
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How to tell a real Batik Silk
Look for the crackle, the fine dark lines running through the colour where the wax split in the dye bath. Real batik carries its design on both faces of the cloth because the dye passes right through, while a print sits on one side only. Outlines are soft and slightly irregular rather than sharp, and small differences between repeats are the sign of a hand drawn wax line, not a fault.
Wearing it
Batik silk drapes light and suits a plain contrast blouse that picks a single colour out of the print. Keep jewellery simple, oxidised silver or terracotta rather than heavy gold, since the cloth is already doing the talking. It carries daytime events and relaxed evening occasions equally well.
Looking after it
Dry clean recommended - If washing at home hand wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent - Do not bleach or wring - Dry in shade away from direct sunlight - Iron on low heat
Questions
- Will the colours run?
- The cloth is dyed and boiled several times before it is finished, so the colour is set, but give it a separate cold first wash. | Is the crackle a defect? | No. The crackle is the signature of wax resist and is what tells you the piece is genuine batik. | Can it be worn in summer? | Yes. These are light silks and they breathe well.
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