The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 231:
Description
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s
14.25 × 12 inches
Complete Guna mola blouse featuring a boldly worked reverse appliqué and appliqué front and back panel set into a dark red and black checkerboard-pattern cotton yoke with gathered short sleeves trimmed in yellow and blue rick-rack, and a multicolored band of pink rick-rack, green, and yellow horizontal stripes at the panel junction. A pleated plain red cotton hem completes the garment. The mola panel presents a large-scale bilaterally symmetrical composition dominated by two confronting spirit geese rendered in the upper register in red on black, their elongated bodies meeting at center with small round eyes and curving necks. Below, the body of the composition expands into a monumental labyrinthine form — concentric parallel stripes radiating outward in sweeping arcs and chevrons — evoking the spread wings or body mass of a great spirit bird. A continuous Greek key and scroll border in red on black runs the full width of the lower register, anchoring the composition with architectural precision. The back panel repeats the composition with variation in the curvature of the central stripes. The extreme economy of the two-color palette intensifies the graphic power of the design. Consistent hand-stitching throughout. Worked in two layers of red and black cotton.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.
Condition report:
Minor wear and fading consistent with age. Areas with discoloration and soiling on front. In house Flat Rate US Shipping of $15 for 1 -10 molas, $5 each additional 10 molas. Insurance is additional and required.
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