Cart
batik
An exhibition showcasing new works by members of the Scottish Batik Guild.
Batik is an ancient technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. It is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting (IPA: [ʈ͡ʂantiŋ], also spelled tjanting), or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap (IPA: [ʈ͡ʂap], also spelled tjap). The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours are desired.
Evidence of early examples of batik have been found in the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and India from over 2000 years ago. Indonesia, most particularly the island of Java, is the area where batik has reached the greatest peak of accomplishment.