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The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1

By Dana Auctions LLC

May 16, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-05-16 11:00:00 2026-05-16 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Parker & Neal Mola Collection - Part 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/dana-auctions-llc/the-parker-neal-mola-collection---part-1-23111
The Parker-Neal Mola Collection Auction on May 16 presents a compelling selection of molas drawn from the renowned collection of Ann Parker and Avon Neal, co-authors of Molas: Folk Art of the Cuna Indians. This first offering has been thoughtfully curated to highlight some of the most interesting and visually striking examples from their extensive holdings. Dana Auctions LLC dana@danaauctions.com

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• Lot Description
  Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 14.5 × 17.5 inches A vibrant mola panel worked in three layers of reverse appliqué, appliqué, and embroidery depicting the iconic Parrot Safety Matches label, a widely distributed Swedish matchbox brand whose colorful packaging became a popular source of imagery for Guna mola makers. The composition features a magnificent parrot perched on a curving banner, faithfully reinterpreting the commercial label through traditional Guna textile techniques. The central parrot is rendered in profile facing left, with a bold orange head featuring a prominent white and black eye surrounded by concentric embroidered rings and dense radiating stitch work in yellow, turquoise, and blue. The curved beak is detailed with an orange cheek patch filled with turquoise dot embroidery. The breast is covered in elaborate multicolored scallop embroidery in rows of black, lavender, yellow, blue, turquoise, orange, green, and white, creating a stunning feathered effect. The outstretched wing displays long multicolored flight feathers rendered as individual vertical bands in pink, yellow, orange, blue, purple, and magenta, each filled with U-shaped appliqué detail. The tail sweeps downward in flowing curves with multicolored line embroidery and white line accents. White appliqué talons with orange tips grip a horizontal perch. The curving ribbon or banner beneath the parrot contains the brand text rendered from memory in multicolored appliqué letters: "P R RIOT" (Parrot) on the perch, with "SAFETY MATCH" curving along the upper ribbon and "MADE IN SME" (Made in Sweden) along the lower portion, all in individually colored letters. The ribbon itself is rendered in lavender and pink with purple line fill and yellow outline, curling decoratively at the left end with a spiral flourish. The background field is densely scattered with multicolored triangular appliqué elements in yellow, turquoise, blue, orange, pink, and black, creating a festive atmosphere that fills the entire composition. A gradient effect is visible in the triangle colors, shifting from turquoise and yellow at left to orange and yellow at right. This piece exemplifies a distinctive genre of Guna mola art inspired by commercial packaging and product labels. The Parrot Safety Matches brand, manufactured by Swedish Match, was widely available throughout Central America and the Caribbean, and its colorful parrot logo became one of the most frequently reproduced commercial images in mola art. Worked on deep red/burgundy cotton ground with layers in black, turquoise, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, magenta, lavender, purple, and white. Three-layer construction with fine hand-stitching throughout. Exceptionally dense scallop embroidery on the parrot's breast and elaborate multicolored flight feather detail. Complex curved cutwork in the ribbon and bird contours. Strong compositional control with the dynamic parrot form balanced by the sweeping banner. Single panel on burgundy cotton ground with black backing visible. This piece exemplifies the Guna tradition of transforming commercial imagery into elaborate textile art, demonstrating the maker's skillful adaptation of printed packaging design into the vocabulary of reverse appliqué and embroidery. A similar photo of this mola can be found on page 228 of MOLAS Folk Art of the Cuna Indians by Parker and Neal. Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection

  Condition

  Minor wear consistent with age. Vibrant color. In house Flat Rate US Shipping of $15 for 1 -10 molas, $5 each additional 10 molas. Insurance is additional and required.
• Shipping Info

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