java dresses

Carved from wadang wood, six hexagonal coasters with a matching holder make a wonderful addition to any home. Gunadi presents this set from Java, featuring intricate truntum batik motifs that are painted by hand with a wax resist before the wood is treated with colorful dyes.

By Gunadi in Java, this set of four ornaments celebrates traditional handicrafts. Carved from wadang wood in the shape of hearts, these ornaments are decorated with colorful floral motifs using the batik style; the designs are applied with a wax resist before the colorful dyes are added. Afterward, the wax is boiled away.

Gunadi's beautiful mask depicts a dancer dressed for Manuk Rawa, a traditional Balinese dance for women and girls. Using batik, a wax-resist dyeing method, the Javanese artisan creates colorful patterns that shimmer across the wadang wood mask.

This masterfully carved decorative vase from Sarwaedi of Bali was inspired by the Javanese legend of Naga Baru Klinting. The subtle application of paint and gilded accents give the vase the appearance of a treasured antique.

According to the legend, Baru Klinting was a dragon who promised a sage that he could circle the whole Merapi Volcano in Central Java to prove that he was the sage's son, but failed to do so. The dragon used his tongue instead, which enraged the sage, and the sage swung a sword to cut his tongue. The dragon fell to the earth. Then people living near the volcano cut up the dragon's body and took it home to make a feast. Suddenly, a midget appeared and put a stick in the earth, and said that he would take all of the dragon's meat if no one was capable of removing the stick. People tried because they didn't want to lose their chance for a feast, but none were able to do it. The midget then removed the stick from the ground, and suddenly in that spot water started to flood the whole village, turning the village into a spring that is present to this day. Later on, another sage revealed that the midget was the soul of the dragon, enraged with the people that tried to eat his body.

Symbols of a warm home, prosperity and community, a couple of chicken figurines are the perfect accent for creating a tender interior with a touch of Java's traditional enchantment. Artisan Retno Pratiwi transforms these cute chickens into a magnificent pair of pule wood figurines whose colorful pattern is made with classic batik methods.