A lovely hand-drawn cotton breastcloth (kemben), one of the most popular and distinctive types of batik made in the town of Banyumas in central Java. The striking ceremonial format contrasts a deep red elongated diamond reserved in the center with a surrounding batik design of natural motifs (a type of pattern called lung-lungan) in caramel and tobacco browns, deep indigo blue, and cream. Mirrored end to end along the diagonal, this particular example creates a rather unique effect of complex graceful movement through fern-like leaves and petals spreading in different directions. Of special note is the characteristic Banyumas combination of bold design with delicate detailing. Along the sides 2 pairs of birds merge with and metamophose out of the leaves, and a long-tailed bird marks each end. Especially attractive is the interplay of color tones, in curves accentuated by sparkling feathery inner detailing. The cream ground is filled with a pattern of tiny light caramel leaf sprays. Although the design is roughly symmetrical, it shows the variation that is said to make hand-drawn batik alive. The points of the red diamond have 3 leaves sprouting from a mound, and its edges are lined with an unusually solid border of boxed quarter-circles, further segmented in dots, representing �flames� (cimukirran), and echoed in the outer border of dotted bars that enclose the design on all sides. The borders give the design a formal character, and were traditionally believed to protect the centerfield like a fence around a garden. A vivid example of red-centered Banyumas kemben with a lively, fresh character. This textile belongs to a very special and ancient type known as kain kembangan (flowered cloths), believed to be as old as the preparation and coloring of bark cloth. Kain kembangan have a large, undecorated geometric area in the center that makes an extremely forceful and dramatic effect by contrast with the regular, consistently repeating designs of the surrounding batik, which are calm in nature (Veldhuisen-Djajasoebrata, Weavings of Power and Might, Museum voor Volkenkunde, 1988, 43-45). Kain kembangan were worn as breast-cloths wrapped around the upper body by aristocratic or royal women of the court on ceremonial occasions. Large scale kembangan known as dodot were wrapped as an over-cloth around the hips by both men and women as a cloth of status. Kembangan were also used to cover festival food offerings and miniature ones were part of the sacred offerings and gifts in marriage, circumcision, and house-erecting rites. The textile is in excellent condition: there are a few light marks towards the ends that appear to have been caused during the dyeing process, and no holes or tears. The colors are fresh, lively, and warm, and the cotton is of high quality, smooth, cool, a little crisp and thinned with age. An unusually charming example of a classic ceremonial type of batik, in one of the most well-known of Banyumas designs, this displays beautifully on a wall. 98"x 20".