Two Guna Women In Dancing Skirts Museum Quality Mola

Two women stand facing one another in full dancing dress, and the woman who stitched them clearly knew exactly what she was drawing. Each one wears a beaded headwrap, a black and gold sash at the waist, and a wide skirt striped in pink, blue, violet and gold, with a dark arm curving out toward her partner as if the music has just started. Around them the red ground is set with maze blocks in yellow, cobalt and rose. At 19" wide by 15" high (full measurements below), this vintage Panama mola is one of the few figural pieces in the collection and easily the most human. It dates to the 1960s and 1970s and was made in hand-stitched reverse applique, cut down through the layers and finished with fine embroidery on the faces and hair. There is only one, and this is it.

These are the oldest molas we have. Every panel in this collection dates to the 1960s and 1970s and was collected in Panama by our founder, Len Brockman, on sourcing trips he made decades before TraderBrock opened in 1991. They sat in his personal collection for years. We are only now bringing them out.

A mola is made by layering fabric and cutting down through it, stitching each edge by hand as you go. The Guna women of Guna Yala have been doing this for generations, and the work in these older panels is on a different level from what you find today. More layers, tighter stitching, and designs that were meant to be worn rather than sold. Look closely and you can see how small the stitches are. That is the part no machine has ever managed to copy.

• Width: 19"
• Height: 15"
• SKU: PM3810T

Each mola is stitched entirely by hand, so gentle care keeps it looking its best.

Hand wash in cold water with a mild soap, on its own. Do not wring, bleach, or tumble dry. Lay flat to dry, out of direct sun. If needed, press on the back with a warm iron, with a cloth between the iron and the mola.