Batik Wall Art

191 items

NOVICA's Batik Wall Art Collection showcases the diversity of this ancient art. The techniques, symbols and culture surrounding batik can be found in the traditional and contemporary wall hangings handcrafted by artisans from around the globe.

The Village Council

Your answers straight from the village experts

+ - How do I care for my tapestry?

As with any work of art, direct sunlight will fade colors over time, especially for tapestries with natural dyes. We recommend hanging your tapestry in an area that avoids direct sun exposure to maintain vibrancy. To clean your woven tapestry, use a vacuum with an upholstery attachment or dry clean if necessary. Spot treatment can also be used with a gentle fabric cleaner, but we recommend testing it on a small area first. Alternatively, you may hand wash your tapestry using cold water, then hang it to dry in the shade. Some tapestries made from cotton fabric may be machine washed on cold.

+ - What are the most common materials used to make tapestries?

When it comes to handcrafted traditional tapestries, the most common materials include wool, cotton, silk, and natural dyes. Certain regions incorporate unique materials or designs into their tapestries. In the Andes, alpaca fiber is commonly used. In India, one finds batik printed cotton. In Mexico and Central America sheep wool and natural cotton threads are frequently used. In Thailand, rich silk material is a feature of handmade tapestries.

+ - What makes a tapestry eco-friendly?

To craft an eco-friendly tapestry, traditional artisans hold themselves to high standards, both in terms of materials and processes. Natural fibers, textiles, and dyes are derived from plants and trees. Some artisans even incorporate recycled or upcycled materials in their commitment to eco-friendly processes. Traditional art forms that are passed down through the generations are often painstakingly made by hand. They are naturally eco-friendly, as they avoid mass production, factory runoff, and industrial waste. This also means that each tapestry is uniquetruly one of a kind.

+ - Are tapestries a good way to insulate a room?

When it comes to tapestries, function meets style! A handmade tapestry can be a great way to brighten up any living space while providing insulation against the cold. Materials like alpaca and sheep wool create natural warmth by trapping cool air inside the cloth, creating a more stable temperature within the room.

+ - Are tapestries handmade?

While factory-produced tapestries are increasingly available to consumers, traditional, authentic tapestries are handmade by artisans who often learn the artform from older generations. Skilled makers from the Andes, India, Mexico and Thailand make use of foot-treadle or backstrap looms, where they interweave warp and weft threads and then tamp them down into a tight stitch. An artisan may finish a handmade tapestry by using a needle and thread or a sewing machine for final touches.

+ - What are the most popular tapestry designs?

Traditional tapestries depict scenes and images which are drawn from the lives and natural environments of the artisans who craft them. Some include geometric designs, like the mandala, which is thought to represent wholeness and symmetry. Others make use of paisley, floral, or leafy patterns, particularly in tapestries from India. Central American tapestries may incorporate geometric motifs, animals, and people, while Mexican tapestries are often colorful with Greca patterns and designs. Thai artisans use symbols that are popular within Thai culture, religious characters, animal scenes, or depictions of human forms. Unique tapestries from the Andes are often vibrant with elaborate scenes that incorporate folklore, village life, and pastoral existence.

+ - What are traditional methods of making tapestries?

The methods for making tapestries vary as widely as the regions from which they come. Because many traditional artisans adopt the methods of their ancestors, they have kept those ancient artforms alive and well. In the Andes, weavers often work on a wooden treadle loom in which they use foot pedals, called treadles, to control the weave of the tapestry. In Central America, the treadle loom and the backstrap loom are both integral to tapestry art. The backstrap loom is one of the oldest techniques which dates back thousands of years, in which one part of the loom is attached to the weaver and the other part is attached to a fixed object (historically, a tree). To create vibrant color, artisans embroider and dye their tapestries with natural plants and pigments. Around the world, weavers use tie-dye, Dabu (the application of wax or gum clay and resin to the cloth to create a diffuse color effect), Batik (an ancient method in which dye-resistant wax is applied to cloth to create select patterns of color), hand embroidery, and patchwork to create unique and diverse tapestry art.

+ - Where did tapestries originate?

The tapestry is an ancient textile art form that dates back thousands of years to early civilizations in Peru, Egypt, and Thailand. In Peru, skilled weavers used colorful camelid fiber threads to create beautiful tapestries for ritualistic funeral mantles. Ancient Incas wove short tunics (Unku) to show importance and social status. Ancient Egyptians crafted shroud-like tapestries to bury their dead. Tapestries gained international prominence when Europeans began to decorate their castles and churches with elaborate textiles that depicted historical scenes, as well as religious messages. Today, skilled artisans preserve the ancient techniques of their ancestors. In Thailand, for example, silk weavers are renowned for techniques that have been used since the rule of the Angkor kings circa 800 A.D. In Central America, contemporary weavers pay homage to early Mayan artisans who used plants, shells, and even snails to color their first tapestries in the 15th century. In India, where some of the first tapestries were made and the textile industry became the base of their economy, the skills of generations past still live on in modern artisans.

Featured Reviews

Cotton batik wall hanging, 'Mother's Care in Green'

dapplemer

May 2, 2021

look twice

Interesting piece. At first glance one sees only a a good design before focusing in on depictions of mother and daughter with moon and house. Lovely colors, Placed in light gray room with fountain. Serene. K Diaz

Cotton batik wall hanging, 'Fresh Vegetable Vendor'

Milagros

Apr 22, 2017

Just like it is portrayed in this picture .

This wall hanging is a very nice . Bought two , one for me and one as a gift for a friend. I'm glad I ordered them . They are really nice . One would expect to pay more for this wall hanging .

Hanging Decorations

Multicolor Wall Decor

Cotton Wall Decor

Traditional Wall Decor

Cultural Wall Decor

Batik Wall Decor

Wall Decor

Batik wall hanging, 'Fufui Beih'

Janet

Dec 28, 2022

Batik wall hanging

Another piece I just love in my living room. The colors are vibrant and it is large enough to make a statement. Catches everyone's eye when they enter the room.

Featured Artist

K. Baka Paintings and batik art

(28)

For my paintings, many a time I see them in dreams and visions before I actually paint them. So in the morning I organize my materials and start painting.

Latest Update"Since working with Novica, the years have been full of good opportunities."Aside from seeing a change in my sales, I have also... read more

More useful facts

Batik Wall Art

Batik is an ancient resist-dying technique practiced all over the world. To create batik wall art, the artisan must think in reverse, working from lighter colors to darker tones. A resist material — usually wax — is applied by hand to the areas of fabric where color is not desired. When the cloth is crumpled into a vat of dye, the wax crinkles, resulting in a network of fine lines of color. Then the wax is removed and the process is repeated with each new color, keeping in mind how colors will blend when layered. NOVICA'S collection of Batik Wall Art includes contributions from artists in India and Thailand, that make for wonderful inspirational and spiritual gifts. Batik from West Africa often celebrates dance and music, and Javanese batiks perpetuate ancestral motifs once reserved for royalty. In fact, Indonesian batik was designated a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage in 2009.