Perched Bird In A Maze With Four Medallions Panama Mola

A dark red bird with a leaf shaped wing perches at the center of a dense maze frame, surrounded by hooks and scrolls in green, yellow, pink and blue. Four round medallions sit at the corners, each quartered by a cross and filled with its own small spiral, and the outer black border is scattered with more maze fragments. The panel measures 16.5 inches wide by 13.5 inches high. It is reverse appliqué, cut and stitched by hand.

A mola is a hand stitched panel made by the Guna people of Panama, once known as the Kuna. Several layers of colored cotton are stacked, then cut down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and every raw edge is turned and stitched closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué. Guna women have been refining it for generations, and the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest where they live.

TraderBrock has bought directly from Guna, Embera, Wounaan and Ngäbe artisans since 1991, and sales revenue goes back into those communities for education, medical care, tools and land. This panel came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and it can be hand washed. No two molas are ever alike, and small variations in size, stitching and color are normal in handmade textiles.

Width: 16.5"
Height: 13.5"
SKU: 22051593T