Guna Mola Panel with Commercial Brand Imagery: Kool Cigarettes and Pingüino Matches

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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 17.5 × 20 inches An exceptional mola panel worked in three layers of reverse appliqué, appliqué, and embroidery documenting the Guna encounter with Western consumer products during the late 20th century. This piece exemplifies the Guna practice of incorporating commercial imagery, brand names, and packaging graphics into traditional textile art, transforming ephemeral consumer culture into permanent visual record while demonstrating remarkable technical virtuosity. The composition is organized against a black ground activated throughout with rainbow-colored vertical dashed embroidery creating rhythmic striping. This all-over patterning—executed in pink, white, turquoise, yellow, orange, blue, and purple—energizes the negative space and provides visual cohesion across the densely populated field. The upper register features extensive text rendered in multicolored appliqué letters spelling "CINCUENTENARIO" (Fiftieth Anniversary) and fragments of additional text including "CASTROFUENTE" and other partially legible words. These text elements appear in rainbow colors—each letter individually cut and applied in pink, turquoise, yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple against the black ground. The text may reference a specific commemorative event, political campaign, or commercial promotion that circulated in Panama during the 1970s-1980s. The central left portion of the composition features a large red bird or zoomorphic figure rendered with characteristic Guna stylization: white appliqué eye with radiating embroidered sunburst suggesting spiritual vision, body filled with parallel horizontal bars in white, blue, and turquoise creating ladder-like patterning, a green leaf or feather form with white chevron embroidery attached to the torso, simplified legs terminating in clawed feet, and flowing curvilinear outlining in pink and turquoise creating depth through layered color reveals. Adjacent to the bird, a Kool cigarette pack is meticulously reproduced. The text "KOOL" appears prominently in yellow, orange, pink, and other colors within a curved banner form. Below this, "FUME REFRESCANTE" (refreshing smoke—Spanish translation of Kool's marketing slogan) is rendered in rainbow-colored individual letters, demonstrating the maker's careful observation of Spanish-language cigarette packaging marketed in Panama. The sophisticated rendering of commercial typography shows the maker's ability to translate two-dimensional graphic design into textile form while maintaining the distinctive Guna aesthetic. The lower center features a matchbox label for "PINGÜINO" (Penguin) safety matches. The rectangular form is rendered in orange and turquoise outlining with the brand name "PINGUNI" (a phonetic Guna spelling) spelled out in multicolored letters against black ground. Horizontal bars in orange and turquoise suggest the striping pattern common on matchbox labels. Above the matchbox, a small red anthropomorphic figure with blue outlining—arms raised, legs splayed—may represent the penguin mascot from the brand imagery or a human figure celebrating or gesturing. At lower center, a small green bird form with pink and yellow outlining adds additional zoomorphic imagery, perhaps relating to the penguin brand or serving as decorative infill. Throughout the composition, numerous geometric forms appear: a cross symbol rendered in red with turquoise outlining and white dashed embroidery, nested rectangular and curved forms in various color combinations serving as space dividers or framing elements, and scattered abstract shapes that may derive from additional packaging graphics or serve purely decorative functions. The inclusion of commercial brand imagery in molas documents a significant moment in Guna cultural history when Western consumer products became increasingly available through trade and travel. Cigarettes and matches—both introduced commodities with distinctive packaging—held particular fascination for Guna makers. The colorful graphics, bold typography, and promise of modernity embodied in commercial packaging provided rich visual source material that could be reinterpreted through traditional textile techniques. The maker has not simply copied commercial imagery but has transformed it through the Guna aesthetic lens. The brands are integrated into a complex composition that includes traditional zoomorphic elements, sacred symbols (the cross), and abstract patterning. This synthesis demonstrates the Guna ability to document cultural change while maintaining artistic sovereignty—the commercial products are observed, recorded, and reimagined rather than passively consumed. The phonetic spelling "PINGUNI" for Pingüino reveals the oral transmission of brand names in Guna society—the maker has rendered the word as it sounds rather than copying the printed spelling, suggesting this information circulated through conversation and memory rather than direct copying from packaging. Worked on black cotton ground with three layers including red interlayer visible throughout. Fine hand-stitching with each letter of text individually cut and applied. Three-layer reverse appliqué construction with sophisticated layered outlining on zoomorphic forms. Dense embroidered activation of ground creating all-over patterning. Single panel on black cotton ground with red backing visible at reverse. A photo of a similar mola can be found on p. 234 of MOLAS Folk Art of the Cuna Indians by Parker and Neal. Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection

  Condition

  Minor wear and fading to front layer. Reverse layer has fabric loss, attempted repair with clear tape. In house Flat Rate US Shipping of $15 for 1 -10 molas, $5 each additional 10 molas. Insurance is additional and required.
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