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236 cm x 193 cm, Silk

This silk cloth (lamba) is from a group of highly complex silk textiles (lamba) produced by a group of master weavers in Antananarivo, Madagascar. For over 30 years, they have been at the forefront of a resurgence in the craft of classical Malagasy silk weaving. This unique art form is renowned for its striking visual appeal and intricate technical complexity.
Our textile is a warp faced weave distinguished by broad and narrow stripes running vertically along the cloth. These are mixed with supplementary weft brocaded patterns and supplementary warp patterns. The textile also incorporates bands of ikat weave, a technique known in Madagascar as Lamaisaka.
Although the seamless design suggests it is a single woven fabric, the textile is in fact assembled from seven handwoven lengths. Each of these passages is the product of an individual artist. The composition presents a rich profusion of colour and pattern that produces an aesthetically unique unity.
The warp threads left after cutting and removing the textile from the loom are plaited and knotted. This method is very distinctive and harks back to the 19th century examples. In addition, patterned borders are woven separately in a warp-faced technique and stitched to the two top and bottom border edges.
The artists from Lamba SARL Studio who created these textiles drew inspiration from extensive studies of rare historical examples. Our textile incorporates many of the techniques and patterns used in the grandest 19th century textiles from the highlands of Madagascar, worn by the elites of the Imerina Kingdom ( c. 1540-1897), whose royals also gave them as diplomatic gifts.
Other comparable textiles from this group of master weavers are in the following institutions:
The British Museum, London, The Metropolitan Museum of New York, The Art Institute Chicago, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, New York, The Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles

The Field Museum, Chicago, The National Museum of African Art , Smithsonian, Washington DC Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Musee de Confluences, Lyon