Two Quartered Urns On Black With Pink Border Mola

Two Quartered Urns On Black With Pink Border Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. Each round urn is split into four quarters of hooked maze lines, a way of dividing a shape that lets the maker run four different color patterns inside one pot. It has the satisfying order of a well set table, and it leaves a room looking a bit more put together. At 15 inches wide and 11 inches high, it is just right for a pillow front or a small frame. Set it in your kitchen or breakfast nook, where pottery shapes feel natural on the wall.

Molas are built by stacking several layers of colored cotton, then cutting down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and turning every raw edge under and stitching it closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué, and a good panel is judged by how fine the stitches are and how many layers deep the cutting goes. This one came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast, where the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and no two are ever alike.

Founded in 1991, TraderBrock celebrates the handcraft of Latin America's indigenous peoples. Every piece comes from Guna, Wounaan and Emberá artisans we know by name, and all profits are reinvested in their communities for education, tools and the teaching of ancestral techniques. Buying from TraderBrock helps keep their culture and their traditions alive.

Width: 15"
Height: 11"
SKU: 22040359T