The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 7:
Description
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s-1980s
15.25 × 19 inches
A vibrant mola panel worked in three layers of reverse appliqué, appliqué, and embroidery depicting a stylized representation of a folded Western-style shirt. The central composition features a neatly folded shirt with collar visible, rendered with characteristic Guna attention to the details of Western clothing and artistic rendering of common everyday objects.
Text bands surrounding the shirt spell out letters that form “CAMISA” (Spanish for “shirt”), created from memory in multicolored appliqué letters against the red ground. The field is scattered with small shield-shaped elements in various colors, creating visual rhythm throughout the composition.
This piece exemplifies a distinctive genre of mola art that documents Western material culture and everyday objects. The maker’s careful observation of folded clothing—likely observed in stores, markets, or among Canal Zone workers—demonstrates the Guna practice of recording and commenting on the foreign objects and customs they encountered during the 20th century.
Worked on vibrant red cotton ground with layers in white, black, orange, yellow, pink, blue, and green. Fine hand-stitching throughout with consistent stitch density. Dense embroidered fill patterns create texture throughout the shirt rendering. Strong compositional control with bold concentric framing around the central motif.
Single panel on black cotton ground with red backing visible. .
This piece exemplifies the documentation of Western material culture in traditional Guna textile art, demonstrating the maker’s engagement with commercial goods and foreign clothing styles. A photo of this MOLA can be found on page 192 of MOLAS Folk Art of the Cuna Indians by Parker and Neal.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection
Condition report:
Minor wear and fading 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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