The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A square silk cloth features numerous vertical bands of varying widths in gold, sage green, deep purple, red, and blue. These bands display repeating patterns of geometric diamonds, stylized plant forms, and small squares. Narrow patterned borders run horizontally along the top and bottom edges, accented by rows of small, multicolored tassels. This complex composition showcases a dense display of vibrant silk threads and alternating decorative motifs.

Raitra Marosoratra

2021
weaver

Martin Rakotoarimanana

(Malagasy, b. 1969)
weaver

Hortensia Cecilia Harinjaka

(Malagasy, b. 1975)
weaver

Rija Ranarivelo

(Malagasy, b. 1980)
weaver

Daniel Rafidison

(Malagasy, b. 1963)
sewist

Rondro Faravololona

(Malagasy, b. 1981)
sewist

Joely Rasolomalala

(Malagasy, b. 1989)
sewist

Nathalie Rasoavololona

(Malagasy, b. 1975)
sewist

Colette Randrianasolo

(Malagasy, b. 1991)
sewist

Mbolatiana Raharimalala

(Malagasy, b. 1993)
Africa, Eastern Africa, Madagascar
silk and dye
231.1 x 247.7 cm (91 x 97 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2021.167.a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The artists of the Lamba SARL workshop created this work especially for the CMA. It is their most complex to date.

Description

This textile is a contemporary version of a lamba akotifahana (a weft-patterned silk mantle). These pricey garments were a fleeting, secular nineteenth-century fashion. Weavers created them for the elites of the Merina Kingdom (c. 1540–1897), whose royals gave them as diplomatic gifts. Though Malagasy weavers continued to make textiles with akotifahana motifs after the kingdom's fall, they became simpler and were mainly made in white. In the 1990s, Lamba SARL Studio revived the elaborate historical weaving practice. Its artists create innovative display textiles drawn from extensive studies of historical examples. Using over twelve colors, the many motifs were woven by adding extra weft (horizontal) threads. Its title translates to "stunning with many patterns."
  • 2021
    Lamba SARL Studio, Antananarivo, Madagascar, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2021–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Hanson, Robin. “Behind the Scenes: A day in the textile conservation lab.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 62, no. 1: 22-23. Reproduced: P. 23; Mentioned: P. 22.
  • {{cite web|title=Raitra Marosoratra|url=false|author=Martin Rakotoarimanana, Hortensia Cecilia Harinjaka, Rija Ranarivelo, Daniel Rafidison, Rondro Faravololona, Joely Rasolomalala, Nathalie Rasoavololona, Colette Randrianasolo, Mbolatiana Raharimalala|year=2021|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.167.a