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             Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who would work under their supervision. .

             Javanese royalty were known to be great patrons of the arts and provided the support necessary to develop many art forms, such as silver ornamentation, wayang kulit (leather puppets) and gamelan orchestras. In some cases the art forms overlap. The Javanese dalang (puppeteer) not only was responsible for the wayang puppets but was also an important source of batik patterns. Wayang puppets are usually made of goat skin, which is then perforated and painted to create the illusion of clothing on the puppet. These puppets were assembled with moving arms and sometimes mouths. These parts were controlled by bamboo sticks that are handled from below the puppet. A pupeteer then would perform a show with the puppets behind a cloth screen, illuminated from behind the puppet by a lamp. Used puppets were often sold to eager ladies who used the puppets as guides for their batik patterns. They would blow charcoal through the holes that define the patterns of clothing on the puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth. .

             The population of western Indonesia is predominantly Muslim. Islamic art forbids the representation of natural elements, and is predominantly based on geometric patterns. These patterns translated well into the styles and methods of batik production. Influence from chinese art, imported by immigrants moving south from china, introduced flower patterns as well as figurative and animistic features which influenced the batik styles of the region.