One of 17 works attributed to Mbitim in museum collections in Europe and the USA. Though not much is known about Mbitim, he headed a ceramics workshop in Li Rangu, southern South Sudan, about 40 km from the border with DRC. His sculptures caught the eye of European administrators and visitors who started collecting his work as early as the 1920’s.
Mbitim’s work is known for his spherical pots with intricate surface decorations and human head finials, made from clay speckled with flakes of mica to reflect the light, known as “hilidiwe”. While his work is quite distinctive, it clearly takes inspiration from anthropomorphic Mangbetu terracotta vessels of the 19th and early 20th century, and may be seen in the context of male Zande potters intermarrying with female Mangbetu potters, giving birth to new styles.
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