Unknown artist, Indonesian; Javanese; Indo-Chinese

Cirebon, located on the north coast of Java, has long been a key center for mercantile activity and non-court traditions. Chinese merchants and manufacturers settled in Java centuries ago and were instrumental in establishing active trading ports. Their influence increased when the Dutch East India Company, administered under Dutch government control starting in 1800, side-stepped the established Muslim or Hindu traders in favor of Chinese business agents. The Chinese were more than just middlemen, however; they contributed their aesthetics to the region as well. Produced for a market well beyond the boundaries of Indonesia, classically Chinese motifs such as the cloud design or megamendung seen here infused batik design. The cloud theme was suggestive of rain, fertility, and life, while the traditional tumpal motif on the border may have suggested the world mountain or tree of life.