Bidspirit auction | Guna Mola Blouse Caiman and

Guna Mola Blouse Caiman and Dragon - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 17 x 17.5 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 blue, green, and yellow abstract printed cotton yoke and puffed sleeves, a red and black neck binding, and a pale yellow hem band. On the front panel, a large caiman with a chevron-striped body, a ridged back, and an eye ringed with radiating embroidered rays stretches across the panel. It is surrounded by smaller birds, a row of diamond motifs, and interlocking maze-like cutwork. On the back panel, a dragon-like creature with a crested head and flame-like forms issuing from its mouth carries a band of small flyfoot motifs along its body, accompanied by birds and dense geometric fill. The flyfoot is a traditional Guna symbol, known as Naa Ukuryaa, which appears on the flag of the 1925 Guna Revolution, and it is unrelated to the symbol's later European use.