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Iguana Mola Panel

c. 1950–70
cotton: reverse appliqué, appliqué, embroidery
Overall: 43.8 x 55.3 cm (17 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.)
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. F. Louis Hoover 1971.217
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Description

Guna standards of beauty are inseparable from technique—the best molas are challenging to execute and filled with laborious embellishments that enhance a mola’s splendor and bring prestige to its maker. Each filler, or decorative element, has a specific, doubled-syllable name. Das-das are short, parallel slits; idi-idi and ada-ada refer to lines edged with squared and triangular teeth, respectively; and wawa-naled are tiny triangles created
by adding fabric (so-called pips) or cutting it away (nips).
Iguana Mola Panel

Iguana Mola Panel

c. 1950–70

Republic of Panamá, Gunayala Comarca, Wissubwala, Guna people

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