The Masterpieces of Batik Peranakan Made by Oei Khing Liem Workshop

(Indonesia, Java)
Woman's Hip Wrapper (Sarung), circa 1940
Textile, Hand-drawn wax resist (batik) on machine-woven cotton, synthetic dyes, waxed signature, 42 1/8 x 39 6/8 in. (106.9975 x 100.965 cm) (tubular)
Inger McCabe Elliott Collection (M.91.184.214)

(Indonesia, Java)
Woman's Hip Wrapper (Sarung), 1937
Textile, Hand-drawn wax resist (batik) on machine-woven cotton, synthetic dyes, waxed signature, 41 3/4 x 75 5/8 in. (106 x 192.1 cm)
Inger McCabe Elliott Collection (M.91.184.344)

(Indonesia, Java)
Woman's Hip Wrapper (Sarung Dlorong Buketan), circa 1915
Textile, Hand-drawn wax resist (batik) on machine-woven cotton, synthetic dyes, stamped signature, 37 3/8 x 42 in. (94.93 x 106.68 cm)
Inger McCabe Elliott Collection (M.91.184.187)

(Indonesia, Java)
Woman's Hip Wrapper (Sarung), circa 1910
Textile, Hand-drawn wax resist on machine-woven cotton, synthetic dyes, waxed signature, 41 3/4 x 75 5/8 in. (106.05 x 192.09 cm)
Inger McCabe Elliott Collection (M.91.184.144)

The earliest batik of Oei Khing Liem can be dated around 1910. His house and workshop were on the Residentsweg in Pekalongan, and his backyard bordered on Lies van Zuylen’s. One of her daughters remembers that her mother and Oei used to converse in Dutch over the hedge early in the morning when she inspected her compound.

Oei learned to draw through a Dutch correspondence course. The dyes he used were synthetic. During World War II he made batiks for the Japanese. It was Oei who, after Lies van Zuylen’s death offered her heirs a large sum to license her signature. There appears to be no record of when he stopped working or what happened to his workshop.

Source: Batik from the North Coast of Java