Introduction To The Batik Collection Of King Chulalongkorn

The King’s Journeys

During his long reign, His Majesty King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, r. 1868-1910) made three visits to Java.  From the first trip it was apparent that His Majesty was fascinated with batik, a quintessential Javanese art form. On each visit, His Majesty seems to have made a point of collecting examples of batik from as many key centers of production as possible.