Kuna Reverse Appliqué Mola — Eight Stylized Feline Faces, Double Register

A Kuna (Guna) mola panel worked in the reverse appliqué technique the culture is known for, in which multiple layers of cotton are cut and stitched back to reveal the colors beneath. The composition arranges eight stylized feline faces across two horizontal registers — four large outer cats with bow-tie motifs and striped bodies, and four smaller central faces set against a striking orange ground. Fine hand embroidery articulates whiskers, brows, and paws, with color saturation intact and no visible fading. Framed under glass with a green mat in a black wood frame.

Molas are the central element of Kuna women's dress, hand-stitched panels that form the front and back of the traditional blouse. The tradition traces to the mid-19th century in the San Blas Islands (Comarca Guna Yala), Panama. Feline imagery in molas often blends contact-era influences with indigenous cosmology, and the bow-tie detailing here carries the wit and folk-art character collectors prize. Attributed to a Kuna artisan, circa 1960s–1980s, based on fabric weight, palette, and stitch density. The double-register, eight-face format is atypical and less commonly seen than single-figure panels.

CONDITION

Very Good. Colors remain bright and saturated with no visible fading; stitching is dense and secure throughout. Presented framed under glass; the panel has not been examined out of the frame.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Material: Layered cotton, reverse appliqué with hand embroidery
• Period: Mid-to-late 20th century (circa 1960s–1980s)
• Presentation: Framed under glass, green mat, black wood frame
• Overall: 22.25" x 26.75" x 1"
• Visible: 15" x 19.5"