Batik Sari
Ketaki Roy ChowdhuryKala Bhavana, Santiniketan, India, 20 December 1976
- Materials & techniques
- Silk, batik; wax resist and acid colours
- Collection
- Ketaki Roy Chowdhury
Object details
This silk sari was made by Ketaki Roy Chowdhury at Kala Bhavana on 20 December 1976 as a gift for another sister’s wedding.
The design brings together elements of Javanese batik and the established vocabulary of Santiniketan batik, reflecting Roy Chowdhury’s continued engagement with different textile traditions.
The principal motifs are the tumpal and stylised flame forms, characteristic elements of Javanese batik. Two opposing tumpals are placed face to face and joined by a floral motif drawn from the Santiniketan design vocabulary. This arrangement creates a dialogue between the geometric structure of the Javanese forms and the flowing vegetal language associated with Santiniketan, while the symmetry gives the composition a strong rhythmic order.
The use of acid colours gives the sari a particularly vivid and intense chromatic character. Their highly saturated tones heighten the contrast between the tumpal, flame and floral forms, giving the composition a striking visual energy. The brightness of the palette also lends the traditional motifs a more contemporary and experimental quality.
Made for a familial occasion, the sari demonstrates Roy Chowdhury’s ability to combine Javanese design elements with Santiniketan’s batik vocabulary, while using colour and composition to move beyond established conventions. It is both a personal wedding gift and an example of her continuing experimentation with the possibilities of batik at Kala Bhavana.
