The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1
Lot 314:
Description
Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1960s
5.5, 7.5, 8.25 inches
Group of three hand-carved wood nuchu or uchu medicine dolls, traditionally carved by Guna (Kuna) men and used by the nele (medicine man) as spirit helpers in healing ceremonies and protective rituals. The group comprises a standing male figure wearing a tall crown-form hat with crosshatched band, hands held at the waist (8.25″); a standing hooded figure with downcast eyes and arms crossed at the chest (7.5″); and a seated figure in a brimmed hat with clasped hands resting in the lap (5.5″). Each is worked from a single block with characteristic adze and knife cuts, abstracted facial features, and simplified, frontal bodies.
Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.
Condition report:
Smallest figure has vertical split in wood along back. 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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