Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
A lamba is an untailored textile worn by all ages, classes, and genders across much of Madagascar. This is an example of a woman’s garment made after Queen Ranavalona II made Christianity the state religion of the Merina Kingdom. Soon after, all-white lamba became popular for both Sunday church and daily wear. <em>Fotsy</em> is white in the Malagasy language. Indicating its owner’s worldliness, the white-on-white patterns alluded to fashionable imported textiles with damask patterns.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
703460
label
Pair of shawls (Lamba Landy Fotsy)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
703460
contentType
object
title
Pair of shawls (Lamba Landy Fotsy)
description
A lamba is an untailored textile worn by all ages, classes, and genders across much of Madagascar. This is an example of a woman’s garment made after Queen Ranavalona II made Christianity the state religion of the Merina Kingdom. Soon after, all-white lamba became popular for both Sunday church and daily wear. <em>Fotsy</em> is white in the Malagasy language. Indicating its owner’s worldliness, the white-on-white patterns alluded to fashionable imported textiles with damask patterns.
date
1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Part 1: 74 x 211 cm (29 1/8 x 83 1/16 in.); Part 2: 61 x 213 cm (24 x 83 7/8 in.)
cul
Africa, East Africa, Madagascar
accession
2025.273
Source extras
tec
Silk (Bombyx mori and Borocera cajani)
tombstone
Pair of shawls (Lamba Landy Fotsy), 1900s. Africa, East Africa, Madagascar. Silk (Bombyx mori and Borocera cajani); part 1: 74 x 211 cm (29 1/8 x 83 1/16 in.); part 2: 61 x 213 cm (24 x 83 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Sundry Art - African Art Fund and Textile Fund, 2025.273
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Invented in the mid-1800s, shawls like this were popular until about 2000.
creditline
Sundry Art - African Art Fund and Textile Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-04 11:04:10.518000
sourceId
703460
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Silk (Bombyx mori and Borocera cajani)
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
8ffc71fe7dce0524