The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 151:
Description
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s
17 × 19 inches
Boldly worked mola panel in reverse appliqué, appliqué, and embroidery on a vivid orange ground, presenting four anthropomorphic spirit figures distributed across two registers within a formal architectural frame: the upper central register contains two large confronting figures — one outlined in yellow with cyan-striped body markings, the other outlined in green with pink and yellow striping — each with embroidered eyes with red dot centers and multicolor vertical body fills; the lower register presents two additional upward-facing spirit figures in analogous green and pink outlines, similarly embroidered. All four figures have outstretched arms and splayed feet in a posture suggesting ceremonial or cosmological significance. The bilateral lateral borders carry two large hooked-cross or gamma-cross motifs — an ancient Guna cosmological and solar symbol appearing in mola work well predating any 20th-century European associations — rendered in yellow-green and black, each set within a square cartouche. Below each hooked-cross, a column of three X-form motifs with individually colored outlined cross-arms in yellow, green, and blue flanks diamond-center accents. The upper field is filled with a stepped labyrinthine border and a row of multicolor arch and scroll elements in blue, yellow, white, and pink. The upper edge retains a green, black, and pink rickrack trim with floral-print fabric visible at the top. The reverse displays a pink ground layer with running stitch. Worked in three layers of orange, black, and pink cotton. Fine, consistent hand-stitching throughout.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection
Condition report:
Minor wear consistent with age. Vibrant color. 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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