The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 434:
Description
Group of 4 molas with hand reverse appliqué, appliqué, and hand embroidery throughout, each worked in 2-3 layers.
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s, 11 x 13.5 inches
Worked in 3 layers, red ground depicting a large four-legged animal, likely a lizard or iguana, in the lower register beneath an expansive stylized bird or butterfly wing form, both rendered in charcoal and green with densely filled multicolored interior bar and stripe details. Animals hold an important place in Guna cosmology and are among the most enduring subjects in mola iconography, often representing spiritual or totemic relationships between the Guna people and the natural world.
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1960s, 14.5 x 17.5 inches
Worked in two layers black ground with two large mirrored bird figures facing each other, rendered in bold hot pink channel work with densely striated body feathers and small red appliquéd eye accents. The paired, symmetrically confronted bird format is a hallmark of classic Guna mola composition, with birds widely understood to serve as spiritual intermediaries in Guna belief.
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s, 13 x 20 inches
Worked in 3 layers with black ground with large numerals “1” and “2” serving as the primary structural design elements in red and orange channel work, with small bird and animal figures integrated into the negative spaces and multicolored embroidered dash elements filling the surrounding field. The incorporation of Western numerals into the mola format reflects the Guna tradition of absorbing elements of outside visual culture into their textile practice, a creative strategy documented from the mid-twentieth century onward.
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s, 16.5 x 19 inches
Worked in 3 layers with black ground with a large, complex figurative composition featuring multiple animals and birds rendered in red, orange, and yellow channels, with integrated star motifs, a visible text inscription, small human or spirit figures, and extensive multicolored embroidered dash work throughout the field. The inclusion of legible text alongside figurative imagery is characteristic of a later, more narrative phase of Guna mola production, in which written language becomes part of the visual and conceptual content of the work.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.
Condition report:
Significant wear, fading, soiling, discoloration, loose stitching, loose aplique and holes. 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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