Shoulder Cloth (Selendang)

With its subtle indigo and white tones and rhythmic, diagonal rows of circular motifs alternating with a latticelike design, this cloth exemplifies the orderly compositions and muted colors characteristic of batiks from central Java. Batik makers in this region create two basic types of patterns: semen (based on tendril-like plant forms) and ceplok, composed of geometric motifs, as seen in this example.
Historically, Javanese society was highly stratified and remains so to some extent, and the pattern of a person’s batik often indicated rank and social status. This was particularly true in the royal courts of the central Javanese cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, which continue to be ruled, at least nominally, by hereditary monarchs. During the eighteenth century, the wearing of certain batik designs was restricted to members of the nobility or the royal family. Commoners were prohibited from wearing these designs, which were referred to as pola larangan ("forbidden patterns"). These prohibitions, however, loosened over time, and today people may wear any pattern they choose.