The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Figure (bimbi)

before 1935

Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bembe carver

Wood and porcelain
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.
  • ?-1976
    Katherine C. White (Reswick)
    1976-present
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH by gift
  • Fagg, William, and Cleveland Museum of Art. 1968. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, no. 218.
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1975.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 2 (February 1976): 31–71. Mentioned: p. 65, no. 23 www.jstor.org
  • 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=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.164