Vintage Kuna Mola Handsewn Folk Art - San Blas Islands

This is a traditional Kuna mola textile panel featuring reverse appliqué figures of animals and people. Origin: Made by the Guna (Kuna) people of Panama. Technique: Intricate reverse appliqué involving multiple colored fabric layers. Vintage Kuna (Cuna) Indian Mola Handsewn Folk Art from the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama. The panels feature reverse applique, and embroidery. They are made from brightly colored fabric, and usually reflect local wildlife or domestic animals, or geometric patterns. Less often, women copy a picture seen on a label from a commercial product or from a magazine. These panels were not initially sewn for art - they serve as front and back blouse panels for women and girls on the islands. You can often find pairs of complementary panels (one back, one front) although pairs usually show slight differences in their patterns or colors. They would all be considered "used" as the blouses would be worn, then deconstructed to sell the panels to tourists. Because of this, the edges of panels are often irregular, with random stitches, holes or cuts in the margins of the panel, and sometimes stains or fading on the fabric. I have done my best to point these out on the product if applicable.