Bidspirit auction | Guna Mola Blouse Three Birds

Guna Mola Blouse Three Birds - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 16 x 17 inches A traditional Guna woman's blouse with two mola panels (front and back), worked in 3 layers of hand reverse applique, applique and hand embroidery with rickrack trim. The blouse has a multicolor floral printed cotton yoke and puffed sleeves, an orange neck binding, and a blue floral printed hem band. On the front panel, a central bird is shown frontally with fully outstretched wings and its head in profile, flanked by a smaller bird on each side. Birds are among the most frequent subjects in Guna molas, and here the wing feathers, bodies, and ground are filled with dense multicolored slits and bands. On the back panel, the composition repeats on a black ground, with the central spread-winged bird between two flanking birds in a new color arrangement. The matched design on front and back reflects the traditional practice of making the two panels of a blouse as a coordinated pair.