Cleveland Museum of Art
Back Skirt / Sitting Pad (negbe)
- Date
- before 1929
- Medium
- Plant fibers and dye
- Culture
- Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mangbetu-style maker
- Department
- African Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 110831
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
Egbe (singular: negbe ) were fashionable and practical garments aristocratic Mangbetu women made for special occasions. Worn over a skirt, it tied onto a girdle along with a frontal “apron.” The curved interior piece rested on the lower back. Thickly woven, flexible natural fibers bent with the body, cushioning the wearer’s behind when sitting. When the woman was standing, the decorated flat portion faced outward, showing off bold geometric motifs. Egbe were among items sold to foreigners at the Mangbetu king’s encouragement as the Mangbetu actively constructed their self-image for outsiders during the 1920s and 1930s. A contemporary fashion in 1929, when it was purchased or collected, this negbe is now a historical document of past styles.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of the African Art Sponsors
- Provenance
- 1928: Purchased by Paul Travis on behalf of the African Art Sponsors and the Gilpin Players in Ekibondo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then-Belgian Congo) | 1928: The African Art Sponsors (and the Gilpin Players?) | 1929–: The Cleveland Museum of Art by Gift
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