Woman’s Breast Cloth (kemben) with Design of the “Brooding Hens” (babon angrem) Motif

A hand-drawn wax-resist pattern of bird’s wings and plants adorns this woman’s cotton breast cloth or torso wrap. This traditional design from the central Javanese royal court of Surakarta is known as babon angrem (brooding hens). Here it surrounds a large wide diamond known as sindangan (beam of light) lined along the inner edge by a row of lotus leaves or flames. The somber colors come from natural dark indigo and soga brown dyes typical of Surakarta. The babon angrem pattern, which remains popular today, consists of a stylized image of a brooding hen that symbolizes newlyweds’ hopes for a blissful marriage, children, and everlasting good health.