Batik Tegal is Unique Design in The World

Tegal is one of the regencies in Central Java known as Bahari (Clean, Safe, Green, Beautiful, Neat, Beautiful) with Slawi as its capital. In addition to warteg and tofu aci, Tegal Regency also has various batik motifs that are its trademark.

Batik Tegal was first introduced at the end of the 19th century brought by King Amangkurat I (Sunan Amangkurat Mas) who at that time was enjoying the North Coast with his followers then he passed down his knowledge of batik to his posterity and spread to the community. Batik motifs at that time were only dominated by green and brown colors. RA Kardinah who is the wife of Tegal Regent RM Adipati Ario Reksonegoro introduced batik in 1908. She also played a role in the development of batik history in Tegal by establishing a girls' school in which she was taught about the art of batik with Batik Lasem motifs.

Unlike batik from other cities, in the past the motifs and patterns of Batik Tegalan were only made during celebrations such as weddings and circumcisions as a valuable contribution because they made batik as a work of art whose value was not limited. Another difference is the use of canting isen-isen, which has a smaller diameter of the funnel compared to other areas such as Solo and Yogyakarta, which use a funnel with a larger diameter.

Over time, Batik Tegalan has various types and colors, including flora and fauna batik motifs. The Batik of Tegal City has a characteristic with fauna motifs that are motivated by the life of the coastal community, while the Batik of Tegal Regency is dominated by flora such as Batik Beras Mawur with a pattern of white dots like spilled rice combined with some flowers.

Other motifs include Girlfriend Flower, Sawo Flower, Mahkota, Broken Watu, Krokotan, Sidamukti, Jae Sarimpang, Alimahan, Grandilan, Glondahan, Mine, Kitiran or Ndiwek, Rhombus, Krikilan, Kawung Beton, Sawut Rembet, Blarakan and many other motifs. others with the background of the majority of the people engaged in agriculture.

The community is also expected to participate in preserving Batik Tegalan products as proof of their love for local products so that they are able to penetrate the international market. Currently, there are many batik industrial centers scattered in several areas of Tegal Regency, including Pangkah District, Dukuhsalam, Bengle, and Sindang Village.

These batik craftsmen are scattered in several villages in Tegal Regency. There are those who develop natural and written batik products, stamped batik, screen printing/printing batik, and combination batik.

Batik Tegalan has a very unique pattern. classified as a type of coastal batik because of its naturalistic decoration, there are no binding rules or restrictions as is the case with Yogya and Solo batik. Batik Tegal Regency is famous for its classic batik motifs that have bold patterns and colors, this reflects the character of "Wong Tegal".

Tegal or Tegalan hand-drawn batik can be recognized from the large or wide rengrengan image or motif. The motifs are adopted from various flora and fauna around people's lives.

"There are several Tegalan batik motifs that are well known to the public, such as Rice Mawur, Watu Pecah, Gribigan, Galaran, Blarakan, Sawo Flower, Ambringan, Girlfriend Flower, Krokotan, Sawut Rembet, Jae Sarimpang, Kawung, Kawung Beard, Kawung Beton, Sidamukti , Sidamukti Nails Tiger, Sidamukti Ukel, Sidamukti Grandil, Sidamukti Putihan, and Sidamukti Chain".

The Rice Mawur motif, for example, is made in the form of white dots like spilled rice (rice mawur). The manufacture of godongannya (leaf shape) is ambringan or ambring leaves combined with several flowers.

While the Mahkota motif is a motif using Pacitan Gabahan and depicts the shape of the crown in blue. The Mahkota motif is also a non-geometric motif with the crown shape dominating the entire surface of the fabric, while the godongan with its isen-isen spreads between the crown shapes with white agris borders. The color selection for this motif is dominated by blue which fills the shape of the crown, also in the godongan shape, blue appears to accompany light green and a little ivory yellow. The beige color in the Pacitan Grain adds to the elegance of the crown motif.

"On the contrary, Alimahan's motif is a leaf motif that is full of isen-isen. While the pacitan (basically) is in the form of grain (rice still attached to the stalk). There are actually only 4 kinds of leaf shapes, but the making of isen-isen and the color of the leaves are different, so it looks like the leaves are made in various shapes,"

The Grandilan motif is a motif using Godongan Turi Putih as the core of this motif, while the pacitan is in the form of klabangan that fills the surface of the fabric.

The Grandilan motif is also a non-geometric motif with the placement of scattered turi leaf shapes.

In contrast to the Glondahan motif, the Tambangan motif is a motif that resembles a mine that crosses and forms a rhombus. While inside the rhombus is filled with different godongan, pacitan and isen-isen.

The Mining motif emphasizes the transverse shape of the mine, filled with isen-isen, which appears to overlap alternately, the shape of the mine is made large so that it dominates this motif, while the cultivation of godongan, pacitan is only a complement that fills the part between the mines.

There is one more motif that is very typical of Tegal "ndiwek", namely the Kitiran motif. The name of the Kitiran motif is taken from the shape of the pacitan, namely the making of a pacitan resembling the shape of a rotating kitiran. The making of pacitan is entirely in the form of kitiran, while the godongan forms are manukan (birds) and leaves with various isen-isen cultivation.

Readmore: Batik Tegal is Unique Design in The World

The rhombus motif is no less unique. This motif is in the form of two triangles that form a rhombus while each triangle has a different pacitan. “The making of pacitan on each triangle that forms a rhombus in the form of squirrel tail, grain, cecek awe-awe, sawud rénett and others. While the manufacture of godongan is only as a unifier made between/borders of one triangle and another in the form of leaves and flowers, "

The Dlorongan motif is no less interesting. The reason is, this motif is in the form of a longitudinal line with the cultivation of pacitan and its godongan between the two crossing lines.

“In several villages, they are currently developing Krikilan motifs. This motif is taken based on its pacitan, which is in the form of krikilan (small stones) that fill the entire surface of the batik cloth between the godongan (leaves). The krikilan motif uses godongan in the form of birds, leaves and flowers arranged in a mature balance. The shape of the bird is worked out with high accuracy and taking into account the aspects of harmony, especially in coloring.

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