Lower garment (kain panjang)

Cavorting amid flowering tendrils, a host of animals romps across this batik: a mythical qilin and phoenix along with a horse, bat, and a menagerie of other animals. Many of these animals have auspicious symbolism in Chinese art and literature. But then there are other creatures that indicate a deeper knowledge of local animals, like the long-legged centipede, gecko, binturong, and civet.
In the early 1900s batik workshops were established along the north coast of Java that were run by Indonesians of Chinese heritage. The textiles they produced often used more naturalistic imagery than batiks commonly found in Central Java. Some workshops would make textiles so intricate that they could take a year to produce.
The head of the textile is decorated with a bouquet, a common motif among Chinese Indonesian workshops. The flowers in these arrangements were drawn from Dutch botanical books. At the top is a signature seeming to read The Wie Nie, a name that may indicate Chinese heritage.