This morning as I logged in on my Etsy shop. I got a message from my first customer a weeks later after the batik arrived. I had been waiting anxiously for her reaction. And I was so delighted to hear that she liked it very much (＠＾▽＾＠) ahhh sooo happy and relieved.. 嬉しかった。
For the past few weeks I'd been a bit downhearted because of no more new sales. I'd been wondering what I was doing wrong. But her message has cheered me up (＠＾▽＾＠)
Today one shirt was sold at my mother in-law's shop! I was so happy ヽ(^◇^*)/
今日義理のお母さんのショップでシャツが売れました！やった！
I have just started this business and am still learning a lot about market's reaction. It's been slow progress. Sometimes I feel a bit frustrated but I'm trying my best to keep my chin up! I LOVE batik and I'm determined to make lots of people see the beauty of batik ヽ(^◇^*)/
What make these two special is the pattern. This batik design is known as Jlamprang or Jelamprang which is characterized by a wide range of geometric designs in the form of circular rosettes, padma or lotus, stars or other small shapes arranged in symmetric pattern on the cloth. The design is probably the remaining evidence of Indian influence on Indonesian Batik.
Situated in a calm Java sea, the Java's north coast was on the trade route between Cairo and Nagasaki, Lisbon and Macao, London and the Moluccas, Amsterdam and Makasar, making it a highly profitable trade area. For two thousands years the island attracted sailors and merchants from all parts of the word to trade an abundance of goods from Asia, Europe, and Africa.. Cloves and nutmeg from the Spice Islands were traded for tea, silks, porcelains, and opium from China; for cinnamon from Ceylon; for camphor from Siam; and bright patterned cloth from India.
Two types of trade textiles from India were painted, resist-dyed cottons particularly from the Coromandel coast and the woven silk, double-ikat patola（パトラ）cloths from Western India (Gujarat). In the beginning only the higher rank of Javanese society could afford patola （パトラ）since it was highly expensive.
The beautiful design of patola （パトラ）inspired the batik artists of the pasisir (which means coastal and was used to name the areas of Java's north coast) to use the design as batik design.
The pioneers were the Arab and Chinese batik entrepreneurs of the pasisir, particularly since the pasisir was the meeting point for merchants, men of religions and travelers, it became sort of a melting pot. Unlike the batik artisans of the Principalities (Yogyakarta and Surakarta), restrictions were almost unknown to the cosmopolitan ones of the pasisir.. They felt free to create designs that expressed their free spirit. As Inger McCabe say in the prologue of her Batik. Fabled Cloth of Java: "The batik artists of Java's north coast splash their colors with controlled and uncontrolled abandon."
"...you were the last man in the world whom I could ever marry"
「あなたは私が結婚したいと思った最後の人でした」
Pride & Prejudice (高慢と偏見) BBC 1996
OR
...you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry"
「あなたは私が結婚したいと思わせられた最後の人でした」
Pride & Prejudice (高慢と偏見) 2005
Personally I think there's not much difference. Both actresses (Jennifer Ehle in BBC 1996's Pride & Prejudice and Keira Knightley's Pride & Prejudice 2005) demonstrate how powerful Elizabeth rejects Mr. Darcy's (played by Oscar winner Collin Firth in BBC's Pride & Prejudice and Matthew Macfadyen in 2005's Pride & Prejudice). This legendary battle of the sexes has inspired so many tales of love (movies or novels) where love between a man and a woman grows out of quarrels and (maybe) hatred in the beginning. And yet, it's Austen's Pride & Prejudice is what I like the most.
But I'm not going to talk about Pride & Prejudice this time. Today while watching BBC 1996's Pride & Prejudice (probably this is the hundredth time), the sight of Mr Darcy reminds me of a famous figure. Perhaps his outfit or his hairdo or the way he stands. I was curious to see the connection so I goggled and found some particularly interesting things. Jane Austen and this guy lived almost at the same era - the regency era. This guy was born 6 years after Jane was. And more interestingly, this guy's middle name was also the name that Jane used in Pride & Prejudice!! （＠゜o゜） This famous figure is no-one but Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (born on 6 July 1781 and died on 5 July 1826).
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles or we often call Sir Thomas Raffles was a British statesman and also best known as the founder of the city of Singapore (now Republic of Singapore). During the Napoleonic war, he led the British army to defeat the Dutch and the French in Java. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Java and took his residence in Buitenzorg (now the city of Bogor).
A memorial to Olivia Mariamne Raffles. Raffles' first wife when he was ruling Java. This memorial was built in National Botanical Gardens.This garden is now known as Bogor Botanical Gardens.
ラッフルズがジャワを統治していた時の最初の妻であるオリビア・マリアンヌ・ラッフルズの記念碑。この記念碑は国立植物園に建設された。この庭園が現在のボゴール植物園である。
During his governorship, Raffles did a lot of things to improve the conditions in Java such as ending the slave trade, opposed to the opium trade, and replaced the Dutch forced agriculture. From cultural side, he led an expedition to rediscover and restore Borobudurand other ancient monuments. In science, his interest in botany inspired him to turn the Bogor Palace's courtyard into a classic English style garden which began the history of Bogor Botanical Gardens. And last but not least, the monumental History of Java.
Raffles wrote and published History of Java in 1817 after he had returned to England. To this date it is still one of the major resources for historians who are interested in the history of Java. It contains invaluable information of the life in Java at that time: its people, culture, religions, arts and crafts, and even batik （バティック）.
He was the first Westerner to have written about batik. He described the process of making batik （バティック）in details - tools, methods, dyes. He explained the many ways of wearing it as well as the number of designs. He also wrote which batik patterns were designated to upper classes in the society. Although he didn't write extensively about batik （バティック）in his book, I think Sir Thomas Raffles took a great part in introducing batik （バティック） to the Western world.
