Two Leaf Finned Fish In An Orange Maze Panama Mola

Two Leaf Finned Fish In An Orange Maze Mola is a hand sewn textile panel made by the Guna people of Panama, known for generations as the Kuna. Two long fish swim inside the upper chambers of a wide greca maze, their fins cut as veined leaves, which is a Guna habit worth knowing, plant and animal borrowing each other shapes. Nothing here stays one thing for very long. At 21 inches wide and 15 inches high this is among the largest we carry, with the scale to anchor a big wall. At home in a dining room, a sunroom, or over a long sideboard.

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: 21"
Height: 15"
SKU: 22051577T