Bidspirit auction | Guna Mola Panel Matched Pair

Guna Mola Panel Matched Pair Thunderbird - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1950s 12 × 15 inches Boldly worked matched pair of reverse appliqué and appliqué mola panels, each presenting a large frontally displayed bird with outstretched wings — consistent with the Guna thunderbird or eagle motif — executed in a striking two-layer palette of deep crimson and turquoise blue cotton. The bird's broad wings are filled with dense vertical channel-work in alternating red and blue, while the breast is articulated by a stack of descending chevrons, a compositional device characteristic of early Guna bird molas. The head is rendered in schematic profile with a circular eye, and a wave or serpentine element extends to one side. The lower register of each panel is divided into flanking labyrinthine corner panels of concentric rectangular and serpentine forms, a traditional filler treatment of considerable intricacy. The two-layer construction, bold graphic simplicity, and restrained two-color palette are hallmarks of an earlier period of Guna textile production. Each panel retains its original blouse border with turquoise trim at bottom. Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.