Guna Mola Panel with Bull and Symbolic Border Elements

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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 13 × 16 inches A vibrant mola panel worked in three layers of reverse appliqué, appliqué, and embroidery featuring a large profile bull figure surrounded by an elaborate symbolic border containing fish, leaf, and geometric motifs. The composition demonstrates sophisticated pictorial storytelling combined with decorative framing elements, creating a unified design that celebrates agricultural animals while incorporating references to aquatic and botanical realms. The central bull dominates the composition, rendered in profile facing left with its massive body filling the central field. The head features characteristic bovine attributes: a prominent square eye rendered in white appliqué with black pupil, a geometric ear visible at the top, and an impressive mouth showing white zigzag teeth suggesting either aggressive display or the stylized representation of the bull's powerful jaw. The head is filled with concentric curved embroidery in white, pink, orange, and green creating wave-like patterns that suggest either decorative patterning or the textural quality of the bull's hide. The bull's body is divided into a remarkable grid pattern containing hundreds of small triangular appliqué elements in yellow, orange, pink, blue, green, and white against a red ground. This dense geometric patterning transforms the bull's body into a mosaic or quilt-like surface, possibly representing the spotted or mottled coat pattern of certain cattle breeds, or serving as pure decorative invention demonstrating the maker's technical mastery. The vertical columns of triangles are separated by black vertical bands, creating a structured, almost architectural quality to the animal's form. This treatment recalls indigenous textile traditions where animals' bodies become vessels for geometric pattern play.. The border contains distinctive symbolic elements positioned at cardinal points around the central bull. At upper left appears a blue canoe or boat form, possibly referencing Guna maritime culture or the transportation of cattle via water routes. At upper center, a yellow fish with chevron patterning represents aquatic life and may symbolize abundance or the complementary relationship between terrestrial livestock and marine resources in coastal Panamanian economies. At top right, a flowering plant or rattle motif in green and multicolored pattern suggests botanical growth or ceremonial implements. The background is activated with dense vertical embroidered dashes in yellow, orange, white, purple, blue, and green creating striped fields that energize the negative space and suggest an environment filled with light, vegetation, or spiritual energy. This embroidered field work demonstrates exceptional patience and skill, with hundreds of individual stitches creating rhythmic patterns across the entire panel. At lower left, a small human figure appears in black, rendered in simplified form with raised arms possibly suggesting a herder, celebrant, or spiritual guardian of the cattle. At lower center and right, geometric leaf or plant forms in blue and green suggest the vegetation upon which cattle graze or the fertile agricultural landscape that supports livestock raising. The three-layer construction creates depth through color reveals, particularly visible in the bull's body grid and the border elements. Extensive embroidery throughout demonstrates exceptional technical skill. The bold color palette—dominated by red ground with black, orange, yellow, blue, green, pink, and white—creates vibrant visual impact appropriate to celebratory agricultural themes. This piece exemplifies the Guna tradition of documenting economically important animals through textile art while embedding them within broader cosmological frameworks that integrate maritime, terrestrial, and botanical elements. The transformation of the bull's body into a geometric mosaic elevates the animal beyond mere livestock representation into a decorative and possibly sacred object worthy of elaborate artistic attention. Worked on deep red cotton ground with layers in black, orange, yellow, blue, green, pink, white, and purple. Three layers with exceptionally dense hand-stitching and embroidery throughout. Complex geometric body patterning and extensive decorative border elements. Strong compositional balance integrating animal iconography with symbolic framing devices. Single panel on red cotton ground with black backing visible. This piece exemplifies the celebratory and documentary functions of Guna mola art, demonstrating the creative representation of cattle as symbols of agricultural prosperity while maintaining the sophisticated technical and decorative standards of traditional Guna textile practice. Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection

  Condition

  Good condition with minor wear consistent with age. 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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