The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 268:
Description
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s
14.5 × 17.75 inches
Boldly geometric reverse appliqué mola panel of striking graphic power, organized around a constellation of five-pointed stars of varying scales distributed across a deep red ground within an interlocking labyrinthine framework. Three largest stars dominate the upper register, each individually characterized by color and interior pattern: the left outlined in yellow with horizontal yellow bars; the center in pink with pink and green horizontal fills; the right in cyan with yekkow and cyan bars — each star a distinct chromatic statement rendered with precise concentric outlining. Within the central interlocking U-form maze below, two further stars are nested: one in orange with horizontal stripe filling at left, one in deep purple and black with yellow bar detailing at right — the latter a four-pointed pinwheel form of exceptional graphic tension. At the bottom center, a smaller blue six-pointed star with concentric blue outlines anchors the lower axis. Flanking the composition on the outer margins, two vertical forms — closely resembling stylized electric guitars — appear at left in pink and at right in yellow, each with a star-form body and elongated neck, a characteristically Guna incorporation of modern imagery into a cosmological field. Two small rectangular face panels with embroidered white eyes and mouth marks appear in the lower register, adding an unexpected figurative accent to an otherwise abstract composition. The entire red ground is animated throughout with densely packed multicolored horizontal bar-and-dash embroidery in yellow, orange, green, blue, pink, purple, and teal. Executed in three layers of red, black, and green cotton, with extensive supplemental appliqué and hand embroidery throughout.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.
Condition report:
Minor wear consistent with age. 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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