The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 26, 2024
Back Skirt/Sitting Pad (negbe)
by 1928
Overall: 26 x 33.7 x 10.2 cm (10 1/4 x 13 1/4 x 4 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
A contemporary fashion in 1929, when it was purchased or collected, this egbe is now a historical document of past styles.Description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.- 1928Purchased by Paul Travis on behalf of the African Art Sponsors and the Gilpin Players in Ekibondo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then-Belgian Congo)1928The African Art Sponsors and the Gilpin Players1929-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHProvenance Footnotes1 Boger, Ann C. et al. Paul B. Travis Africa 1927-1928. Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. PP. 32, 462 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.
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- 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=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.354