{
    "data": {
        "id": 148199,
        "accession_number": "1975.190",
        "share_license_status": "Copyrighted",
        "tombstone": "Bell (dibu), c. 1920. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, unknown maker, Kongo-style. Wood and plant fiber; overall: 25.4 cm (10 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White, 1975.190",
        "current_location": null,
        "title": "Bell (dibu)",
        "creation_date": "c. 1920",
        "creation_date_earliest": 1915,
        "creation_date_latest": 1925,
        "artists_tags": [],
        "culture": [
            "Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, unknown maker, Kongo-style"
        ],
        "technique": "Wood and plant fiber",
        "support_materials": [],
        "department": "African Art",
        "collection": "African Art",
        "type": "Musical Instrument",
        "measurements": "Overall: 25.4 cm (10 in.)",
        "dimensions": {
            "overall": {
                "height": 0.254,
                "height_inch": 10,
                "height_inch_fraction": 0.0
            }
        },
        "state_of_the_work": null,
        "edition_of_the_work": null,
        "copyright": null,
        "inscriptions": [],
        "exhibitions": {
            "current": [],
            "legacy": [
                {
                    "description": "CMA 1968: \"African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection,\" cat. no. 227, repr.",
                    "opening_date": "1968-01-01T00:00:00"
                }
            ]
        },
        "provenance": [
            {
                "description": "Katherine White Reswick",
                "citations": [],
                "footnotes": [
                    "<ul><li><!--block-->photograph of object dated June 1964 (KWM address stamped on reverse)</li><li><!--block-->published in <em>African Tribal Images</em> (1968) as cat. no. 227</li></ul>"
                ],
                "date": "by 1964",
                "sortorder": null
            },
            {
                "description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift",
                "citations": [],
                "footnotes": null,
                "date": "1975\u2013",
                "sortorder": 2
            }
        ],
        "find_spot": null,
        "related_works": [],
        "former_accession_numbers": [
            "653.68"
        ],
        "did_you_know": "This is one of four bells that scholars believe were made by the same workshop or artist because of their similar appearance.",
        "description": "This elegant <em>dibu</em> (ritual bell) was used by an <em>nganga</em> (ritual specialist) to call spiritual forces. Bells (plural, <em>madibu</em>) like these were often used in connection with <em>minkisi</em> (singular, <em>nkisi</em>), sculptural vessels or figures that contained empowered materials with spiritual associations. Functioning as a handle for the bell, the female figure on top kneels with her hands resting on her knees, her fingertips touching the bell's rounded edge. The zigzag and other patterns allude to textiles from the area. At either side are knots where the three wooden clappers are fastened, allowing them to move freely within the bell's cavity. The dull sound of madibu bells is connected with bell-wearing hunting dogs, who are believed to be aware of otherworldly presences thanks to their heightened senses.",
        "external_resources": {
            "wikidata": [
                "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q79928320"
            ],
            "internet_archive": []
        },
        "citations": [],
        "url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.190",
        "images": {},
        "alternate_images": [],
        "creditline": "Gift of Katherine C. White",
        "image_credit": null,
        "sketchfab_id": null,
        "sketchfab_url": null,
        "gallery_donor_text": null,
        "athena_id": 148199,
        "creators": [],
        "legal_status": "accessioned",
        "accession_date": "1976-01-08T00:00:00",
        "sortable_date": 1915,
        "date_added_to_oa": null,
        "date_text": "c. 1920",
        "collapse_artists": false,
        "on_loan": false,
        "recently_acquired": false,
        "record_type": "object",
        "conservation_statement": null,
        "has_conservation_images": false,
        "cover_accession_number": null,
        "is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
        "impression": null,
        "alternate_titles": [],
        "is_highlight": false,
        "updated_at": "2026-05-11 13:00:37.969000"
    }
}