The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 25, 2025

Back Skirt/Sitting Pad (negbe)

by 1928

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mangbetu-style makers

Plant fibers and dye
Overall: 19.7 x 27.3 x 6.3 cm (7 3/4 x 10 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.)
Gift of the African Art Sponsors of Karamu House 1929.353
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

A curved "handle" on the negbe's interior allowed it to rest on the tailbone.

Description

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.
  • 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
    African Art Sponsors of Karamu House, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1929-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Boger, Ann C. et al. Paul B. Travis Africa 1927-1928. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. PP. 32, 46
    2 12/3/1928 letter to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History from Hazel Mountain Walker (Gilpin Players, president) and Harry E. Davis (African Art Sponsors, president) reproduced on p. 54 of Adams, Henry et al. Paul Travis 1891-1975. Cleveland Artists Foundation, 2001.
  • Boger, Ann C. et al. Paul B. Travis Africa 1927-1928. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. p. 30.
  • Stories from Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
  • {{cite web|title=Back Skirt/Sitting Pad (negbe)|url=false|author=|year=by 1928|access-date=25 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.353