The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Figure (bimbi)
before 1935
Overall: 20.3 cm (8 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1975.164
Location: not on view
Description
Small sacred sculptures among the Bembe serve as symbols of spiritual protection for their owners. Substances are inserted into an anal orifice, covered with sacred white clay known as mukuya, and then consecrated by a priest-diviner (nganga). The beauty of the figure's strong, finely rendered features and intricate body marks enhance the owner's religious experience.- ?-1976Katherine C. White (Reswick)1976-presentCleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH by gift
- CMA 1976: "Year in Review 1975," CMA Bulletin LXIII (Feb., 1976), p. 65, no. 23.CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 218, repr.
- {{cite web|title=Figure (bimbi)|url=false|author=|year=before 1935|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.164