Bidspirit auction | Guna Mola Blouse Large Abstract

Guna Mola Blouse Large Abstract Figure - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 17.5 x 18.5 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 cotton yoke and puffed sleeves, a black and red neck binding, and a navy hem band. On the front panel, a large abstract figure with round eyes encircled by radiating embroidered rays spreads angular limbs across the panel, flanked by hourglass-shaped motifs and curling scroll forms at the lower sides. The figure is built with strict bilateral symmetry, with nested outlines in red, orange, and green set against a densely slit ground. The back panel, a closely matched companion design, repeats the abstract figure, hourglass motifs, and scroll forms in a varied color arrangement. The coordinated front and back panels reflect the practice of making a blouse's two molas as a set.