The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A vertically long cream silk textile features a central field of repeating rectangular and diamond patterns. This section is flanked by wide bands of fine diagonal lines, bordered by thin vertical stripes in purple, pink, and green. The fringed top and bottom edges repeat the colors of the vertical bands they align with, providing a symmetrical finish to the intricately woven cloth.

Wrapper (Lamba Akotifahana)

1860–90

Madagascar, Merina Kingdom

silk (Bombyx mori and Borocera cajani)
Overall: 231 x 157 cm (90 15/16 x 61 13/16 in.)
Sundry Art - African Art Fund and Textile Fund 2025.271
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A shining lamba like this was wrapped around the shoulders over tailored clothing like a suit or dress.

Description

A lamba is an untailored textile worn by all ages, classes, and genders across much of Madagascar. Woven from shining Bombyx mori silk, the lamba akotifahana takes its name from the weft-float motifs (akotifahana) that adorn it. Once the color of commoners and the enslaved, when Christianity became the state religion in 1869, elite churchgoers preferred white silk lambas. The rows of knotted fringe reflect Malagasy taste for Chinese-made “Manila shawls.”
  • Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot (1867–1936)
    –c. 2018
    Estate of Jean-Baptiste Étienne Auguste Charcot
    c. 2018–2025
    Zareh Achdijian at the Le Mans Art Fair
    2025
    The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • {{cite web|title=Wrapper (Lamba Akotifahana)|url=false|author=|year=1860–90|access-date=08 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.271