Batik is made by drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption during the dyeing process.

Resist dyeing using wax has been practised since ancient times and it is attested in several world culture such as Egypt, southern China (especially among hill tribes like the Miao, Bouyei and Gejia peoples), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka.

It first became widely known outside of southeast Asia when it was described in the 1817 The History of Java, leading to significant collecting efforts and scholarly studies of the tradition and crafts.

Many workshops and artisans are active today, creating a wide range of products and influencing other textile traditions and artists.

[b] Robert Blust traces the Javanese word as a reflex of Proto-Austronesian *batik and its doublet *beCik which means decorations and patterns in general.

[10] The term and technique came to wider public notice beyond Southeast Asia following Thomas Stamford Raffles's description of batik process in his 1817 book The History of Java.

It existed in Egypt in the 4th century BC, where it was used to wrap mummies; linen was soaked in wax, and scratched using a stylus.

[20] When the Dutch East Indies Company began to impose their monopolistic trade practice in 17th century Indonesia, batik cloths was one of the product which stifled their textile sales.

Dutch imports of chintz from the Coromandel coast could not compete with locally made batik due to their robust production and high quality.

In 1873 the Dutch merchant Elie Van Rijckevorsel gave the pieces he collected during a trip to Indonesia to the ethnographic museum in Rotterdam.

[22] These in turn were used by Dutch and Chinese artisans to develop new patterns which blended several cultural influences, and who also introduced innovations such as cap (copper block stamps) to mass-produce batiks and synthetic dyes which allow brighter colours.

Several prominent batik ateliers appeared, such as Eliza van Zuylen (1863–1947) and Oey Soe Tjoen (1901-1975),[23] and their products catered to a wide audience in the Malay archipelago (encompassing modern Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore).

Batik skirts and sarongs for example were widely worn by indigenous, Chinese, and European women of the region, paired with the ubiquitous kebaya shirt.

It was subsequently modified by local artisans with larger motifs, thicker lines, and more colours into what is now known as African wax prints.

Patterns are sketched with pencil and redrawn using hot wax, usually made from a mixture of paraffin or beeswax, sometimes mixed with plant resins.

[31][32] Using this mechanism, artisans may create intricate coloured patterns with multiple cycles of wax application and dyeing.

Modern Javanese stamps are made of copper strips and wires, the manufacture of which is a highly skilled process.

The replacement of the canting with the cap reduces the effort needed to make a batik cloth, and hence the cost, but still requires skill.

In textile scholarship, most studies have focused on Indonesian batik patterns, as these drew from a wide range of cultural influences and are often symbolically rich.

Some patterns are said to have loaded meanings and deep philosophies, with their use reserved for special occasions or groups of peoples (e.g. nobles, royalties).

[43] However, some scholars have cautioned that existing literature on Indonesian textiles over-romanticises and exoticises the purported meanings behind relatively mundane patterns.

[20][45] African wax prints were introduced during the colonial era, through the Dutch textile industry's effort to imitate the batik-making process.

[51] Batik is made by ethnic peoples in the South-West of China, and in neighbouring countries including Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, especially by hill tribes.

Almost all the Miao decorate hemp and cotton by applying hot wax, and then dipping the cloth in an indigo dye.

Contemporary batik making in India is done by the deaf women of Delhi, who are fluent in Indian Sign Language and work in other vocational programs.

The wax resist-dyeing technique has been used for centuries in Java, where certain motifs had symbolic meaning and prescribed use, indicating a person's level in society.

[60][61] On the other hand, there are non-ceremonial batik which has long been treated as a trade commodity, with usage that are determined by taste, fashion, and affordability.

In the same year, UNESCO recognized education and training in Indonesian Batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.