Sarong, Batik

Sarung

The Sembagen Huk motif is a Chinese-influenced motif of a phoenix bird in an egg. It brings fertility and peace. The motif has been part of the “Forbidden Patterns” in the palace of Yogyakarta since 1801 and was only allowed to be worn by royal families and nobles. Legend has it that Sultan Agung found an egg of the bird Huk (owl or often interpreted as phoenix) on his way to Mecca and had a batik pattern designed from it. Here it is combined with a flower and bird motif in the kepala (headpiece), which indicates that it could also be worn by non-nobles. Certain motifs were reserved for the Indonesian nobility. To circumvent this rule, the classic batiks, often in earthy colors, were modified and expanded to include creative motifs. These extended patterns are colorful and reflect the multicultural influence. They are often supplemented with the kepala part and are therefore usually worn as a sarong. This extension means that they are no longer “forbidden patterns” and anyone can wear them and feel connected to the nobility. In the past, this was particularly important for migrants who had their roots in Holland, China and the Arab world. They were referred to as Peranakan, which originaly meant “child of a foreigner with an Indonesian mother”. Today, the term describes migrants who have been living in Indonesia for two generations. Many of them settled on the north coast of Java (Pesisir), opened new batik workshops and developed the batik style typical of this region today.

This batik comes from the collection of the Austrian composer with the artist name Linda Bandara-Hofland. The real name of this almost forgotten Austrian - but Java-born - composer was Sieglinde Leber. She was the daughter of Dr. med. Johann Leber and Maria Antonie, née Teutschmann, and was born on 15.5.1881 in Kendal, Semarang (Indonesia) and died on 20.6.1960 in Vienna.

Her relationships with the Sultan of Yogyakarta and the aristocracy of Java gave her access to the orchestras employed at the various Central Javanese courts, which had previously been reserved exclusively for members of the court. Thanks to her good connections, she obtained extravagant batik fabrics, some of which were only worn at court.

Between 1929 and 1942, Linda Bandara lived in Wassenaar (Netherlands), Vienna and Yogyakarta. In 1936 and 1937, her composition “Ländlichen Stimmungsbilder”, characterized by Javanese influence, was often heard on the radio (ORF) in an interpretation by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. After the death of her husband in 1942, she moved permanently to Vienna, where she lived through the Second World War.