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Panel (Lamba Mpanjaka)

A work made of silk, warp-faced plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and supplementary brocading wefts; five panels joined; finished at both ends with knotted and braided warp fringe.

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  • A work made of silk, warp-faced plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and supplementary brocading wefts; five panels joined; finished at both ends with knotted and braided warp fringe.

Date:

1997

Artist:

Daniel Rafidison (Malagasy, born 1963) and Antoine Rakotoarinala (Malagasy, born 1962)
Produced at Lamba SARL cooperative
Arivonimamo, Madagascar

About this artwork

In this display piece, the jewel-like colors and designs in the weaving are a contemporary revival of akotofohana, a 19th-century cloth worn by monarchs in Madagascar as their most luxurious mode of dress. Malagasy people consider cloth to be the ultimate gift: a valuable symbol of relationships forged between rulers, individuals, ancestors, and spirits. Rulers presented the fine mulberry silk textiles to foreign dignitaries as they established and built diplomatic ties around the world. For example, Queen Ranavalona III of Madagascar sent two akotofohana cloths to US President Grover Cleveland in 1886.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Artist

Antoine Rakotoarinala

Title

Panel (Lamba Mpanjaka)

Place

Madagascar (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1997

Medium

Silk, warp-faced plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and supplementary brocading wefts; five panels joined; finished at both ends with knotted and braided warp fringe

Dimensions

278.1 × 172.7 cm (109 1/2 × 68 in.) Weft repeat: point repeat Fringe length: 9 in. (on side with accession number label), 10 in.

Credit Line

Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment

Reference Number

1998.84

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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