Bidspirit auction | Guna Mola Blouse Large Spider

Guna Mola Blouse Large Spider - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 19.5 x 18 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 solid yellow-green cotton yoke and puffed sleeves, a blue and red neck binding, and a lavender ruffled hem. On the front panel, a large central spider with a projecting head, round eyes, and a rounded body filled with heart-shaped cutouts spreads wavy legs to either side. Cross-shaped motifs, upright stalk forms, and scattered multicolored triangles surround the figure, a triangle-fill technique characteristic of Guna molas. The back panel features a second spider that has a rounded body ringed with triangular cutouts, a head with small forward projections, and four legs to each side. It is framed by stalk forms at the sides, block motifs along the lower edge, and a ground scattered with multicolored triangles.