Hand Painted African Art Giraffe Batik Wall Hanging Runner Safari Souvenir

African Art Giraffe Batik Technique Wall-hanging Runner  Hand Painted.  Measures approximately 60 long by 17 wide.  Condition: slightly wrinkled from storage, can be ironed with parchment paper between paining and iron. Otherwise excellent.  Batik is a well-respected, ancient art form and craft. It is a similar process used to maker African print fabric but instead of using industrial printing machinery it is all done by hand! The fabrics are used to make traditional African clothing as well as modern Afrocentric clothing, accessories and homeware.  WHAT IS BATIK?  In the 19th century, English and Dutch merchants from Indonesia first introduced batik to Africa. Several African tribes, including the Yoruba from Nigeria, Wolof and Soninke from Senegal and Bamana from Mali, started to experiment with their own designs using mud, cassava starch and rice paste instead of wax to resist the dye. Either vat dyes (water-insoluble dyes such as indigo) or reactive dyes (chemical reaction) are used in the dyeing process. Vat dyes use stronger chemicals and the color fastness is better when washed regularly compared to reactive dyes. The common dye colors used for batik include: green, blue, yellow, brown, purple and indigo.