Kuna Geometric Abstract Folk Art Mola Hand Stitched Applique Panel Fish Hook 39B
Item History & Price
The most authentic, original, the purest andtruest of all molas ever created were the geometrics ones and a must for anyserious collection, harder and harder to locate today because most were createdfrom the 1940’s to the 1970’s, they are abstract masterpieces of handsewn applique.We pride ourselves in collecting direct, from village to village of the SanBlas Islands, only the most outstanding, detailed, handmade and colorful panelswe can find and the most traditional and old...est ones as well which are gettingharder and harder to find.You are buying the intricate detailed mola in the first and 3rdphoto, a highly collectible & authentic folk art panel once created by avery talented Kuna Indian. Outstanding vintage hand sewn mola, very delicate work with a minutegeometric variation on the "fish hook" abstract motif, seen on photo1 and 3: collected in the field. Time consuming to create completely by hand especially in the caseof a large mola which takes twice as long to complete. Detailed work: very large size is 16, 75" X 12, 5" collected in Achutupu Island, San Blas, Panama.(and item number 39B, Category: pure geometrics) This mola is complete and in great shape with aborder all around. Some very demanding molasworkwise made by the best of experts show perfectly rendered backgrounds suchas these:
1) Labyrinth backgroundinspired by brain coral.2) Tiny triangles lined withdifferent color fabrics.3) Crosses likemultiplication signs.4) Saw teeth lines. Kunas living in remote islands off the coast ofCentral America, inspire themselves with what is around them in the creation oftheir blouse fabric panels, from the baskets they use to the brain coral thatsurrounds their islands, from birds to fish and animals, from daily life andKuna history & religion which are all depicted on many a blouse. Absolute perfection oflines & symmetry on these vintage molas created with great precision anddetail over a month’s time or more, each with an intense traditional backgroundof very time consuming minute parallel lines or tiny little triangles, or labyrinthmotifs reminiscent of the natural maze of the brain coral that surrounds theislands and provide the artists with some of their ideas. Molas are getting harderand harder to collect in the field and as a result have tripled or x 4 in priceon location, as the tradition is disappearing. We just returned from a trip toPanama and in many San Blas islands' villages, we did not find a single personwearing one or having one for sale. It saddened us a great deal to see such awonderful art not being passed on to the next generation anymore as theknowledge and beauty of creating intense and detailed reverse applique is beinglost with it, but the next generation, as everywhere else, is not interested increating 2 blouse panels that take, each, 1 month or more to complete, and arelooking forward to a more modern future, while wearing western clothing, sincenow many islands have electricity which leads to computers, cell phones andTV’s and to the end of crafting.It is the first trip inoticed such a tremendous decrease in the production and wear of such awonderful and colorful traditional attire soon to be a distant memory. I amafraid true not-made-for-tourists molas which are the only kind we collect bychoice (unless we have requests for the other newer types: which are beautifulas well in their own respect, when well made that is, but were never worn on ablouse but made for the tourist trade) will soon be all gone. To this day, we haveprized ourselves in collecting the best we can find: authentic traditionalblouse mola panels, that we remove from the blouses ourselves, purchasing themone by one direct from the islands’ artists and chosing the ones created withthe most detail, the most interesting subjects, the best colors’combinations, while making sure they are handsewn with intense and minute needlework as well, as so many are now made by machine: we insist on handsewn stitches sometimes sosmall they are almost invisible, this is a fabric art that will be a thing ofthe past as well as the authentic molas themselves in a very near future. All our unusual handcrafted or rare items come with pages ofresearch, photos, and authenticity information concerning them. In the case ofthe molas, we will send you 5 lengthy documents with photos referring toeverything you need to know about them, from their history to their spiritualmeanings or messages, the traditions still embraced thru them, and thedifficult task of creating them. All our collector and rareitems come with pages and pages of research about provenance, and with historyof the tribes and photos as well, depending on item and whenever possible. Whenshipping internationally, we group ship multiple purchases to save you money, and find the best rates available. If you haveany questions or want to see research conducted on this piece and photos oftribes, teall us.Additionalphotos placed here also show a variety of photos from our trips such as myhusband distributing goods to the Indian community, village scenes, a molabeing started, a Kuna woman wearing one, as the molas are part of the CunaIndian traditional blouse and there is a panel in front and back per blouse.Panels can take months tocreate and are the pride of the maker and owner-wearer.
1) Labyrinth backgroundinspired by brain coral.2) Tiny triangles lined withdifferent color fabrics.3) Crosses likemultiplication signs.4) Saw teeth lines. Kunas living in remote islands off the coast ofCentral America, inspire themselves with what is around them in the creation oftheir blouse fabric panels, from the baskets they use to the brain coral thatsurrounds their islands, from birds to fish and animals, from daily life andKuna history & religion which are all depicted on many a blouse. Absolute perfection oflines & symmetry on these vintage molas created with great precision anddetail over a month’s time or more, each with an intense traditional backgroundof very time consuming minute parallel lines or tiny little triangles, or labyrinthmotifs reminiscent of the natural maze of the brain coral that surrounds theislands and provide the artists with some of their ideas. Molas are getting harderand harder to collect in the field and as a result have tripled or x 4 in priceon location, as the tradition is disappearing. We just returned from a trip toPanama and in many San Blas islands' villages, we did not find a single personwearing one or having one for sale. It saddened us a great deal to see such awonderful art not being passed on to the next generation anymore as theknowledge and beauty of creating intense and detailed reverse applique is beinglost with it, but the next generation, as everywhere else, is not interested increating 2 blouse panels that take, each, 1 month or more to complete, and arelooking forward to a more modern future, while wearing western clothing, sincenow many islands have electricity which leads to computers, cell phones andTV’s and to the end of crafting.It is the first trip inoticed such a tremendous decrease in the production and wear of such awonderful and colorful traditional attire soon to be a distant memory. I amafraid true not-made-for-tourists molas which are the only kind we collect bychoice (unless we have requests for the other newer types: which are beautifulas well in their own respect, when well made that is, but were never worn on ablouse but made for the tourist trade) will soon be all gone. To this day, we haveprized ourselves in collecting the best we can find: authentic traditionalblouse mola panels, that we remove from the blouses ourselves, purchasing themone by one direct from the islands’ artists and chosing the ones created withthe most detail, the most interesting subjects, the best colors’combinations, while making sure they are handsewn with intense and minute needlework as well, as so many are now made by machine: we insist on handsewn stitches sometimes sosmall they are almost invisible, this is a fabric art that will be a thing ofthe past as well as the authentic molas themselves in a very near future. All our unusual handcrafted or rare items come with pages ofresearch, photos, and authenticity information concerning them. In the case ofthe molas, we will send you 5 lengthy documents with photos referring toeverything you need to know about them, from their history to their spiritualmeanings or messages, the traditions still embraced thru them, and thedifficult task of creating them. All our collector and rareitems come with pages and pages of research about provenance, and with historyof the tribes and photos as well, depending on item and whenever possible. Whenshipping internationally, we group ship multiple purchases to save you money, and find the best rates available. If you haveany questions or want to see research conducted on this piece and photos oftribes, teall us.Additionalphotos placed here also show a variety of photos from our trips such as myhusband distributing goods to the Indian community, village scenes, a molabeing started, a Kuna woman wearing one, as the molas are part of the CunaIndian traditional blouse and there is a panel in front and back per blouse.Panels can take months tocreate and are the pride of the maker and owner-wearer.
